sycophant
To inform against; hence, to calumniateTo inform against; hence, to calumniate.
» He was a sycophant, always trying to ingratiate himself with the wealthy.
ddnktr · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 senses(rare, transitive)To play the sycophant toward; to flatter obsequiously.
(obsolete, transitive)To inform against; hence, to calumniate.
Examples
5 sentencesHe was a sycophant, always trying to ingratiate himself with the wealthy.
The king was tired of his sycophants always praising him, so he sent them away.
ruКоролю надоело, что подхалимы постоянно хвалят его, поэтому он выслал их подальше. — fipl
deDer König war seiner Schmeichler, die ihn beständig anpriesen, müde, also schickte er sie weg. — MUIRIEL
Of course Tom was encouraging the riot — him and his cadre of drunken, deluded sycophants.
The authoritarian manager rewards sycophants and punishes anyone who suggests possible improvements to practices and procedures.
You're a sycophant.
ruТы подхалим. — marafon
Origin
First attested in 1537. From Latin sȳcophanta (“informer, trickster”), from Ancient GreekFirst attested in 1537. From Latin sȳcophanta (“informer, trickster”), from Ancient Greek συκοφάντης (sukophántēs), itself from σῦκον (sûkon, “fig”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “to show, demonstrate”). The gesture of "showing the fig" was a vulgar one, which was made by sticking the thumb between two fingers, a display which vaguely resembles a fig, which is itself symbolic of a σῦκον (sûkon), which also meant vulva. The story behind this etymology is that politicians in ancient Greece steered clear of displaying that vulgar gesture, but secretly urged their followers to taunt their opponents by using it.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
sycophants, sycophanting, sycophanted, sycophanted| Base form | sycophant · to sycophant |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | sycophants |
| Present participle | sycophanting |
| Past simple | sycophanted |
| Past participle | sycophanted |
regular · Lesson
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.