noun
Topsy
TOP-see
noun
1
Something (or someone) that seems to grow, spread, or develop on its own, without any real plan behind it.
"The company's IT systems grew topsy over the years, with no single person in charge of the design."
How to Use Topsy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDescribes uncontrolled, unplanned growth — often paired with "grew," as in "it just grew topsy."
Memory tip
This word is rare outside the fixed phrase "grew (like) Topsy," meaning something expanded haphazardly.
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The company's IT systems grew _____ over the years, with no single person in charge of the design.
Etymology
From Topsy, a character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, who famously says she "just growed" rather than being deliberately raised or made.