fawner


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fawn 1

 (fôn)
intr.v. fawned, fawn·ing, fawns
1. To exhibit affection or attempt to please, as a dog does by wagging its tail, whining, or cringing.
2. To seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior.

[Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian, to rejoice, from fagen, fægen, glad.]

fawn′er n.
fawn′ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: fawn1, bootlick, kowtow, slaver1, toady, truckle
These verbs mean to seek or gain favor by behaving obsequiously and submissively: fawned on her superior; bootlicked to get a promotion; lawyers kowtowing to a judge; slavered over his rich uncle; toadying to members of the club; nobles truckling to the king.

fawn 2

 (fôn)
n.
1. A young deer, especially one less than a year old.
2. A grayish yellow-brown to moderate reddish brown.

[Middle English, from Old French foun, faon, feon, young animal, from Vulgar Latin *fētō, *fētōn-, from Latin fētus, offspring; see dhē(i)- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.fawner - someone who humbles himself as a sign of respectfawner - someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect
crawler, sycophant, toady, lackey - a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
References in classic literature ?
Yet there was none of the sycophant or fawner in Billings; ordinarily I do not wax enthusiastic about men, but this man Billings comes as close to my conception of what a regular man should be as any I have ever met.
The man's chest and shoulders were magnificent, but the stump of a right arm, beyond the flesh of which the age-whitened bone projected several inches, attested the encounter with a shark that had put an end to his diving days and made him a fawner and an intriguer for small favors.
"I must think a moment A spirit of contempt for the fawners and plotters."
It may be worth thinking of by Fawners of all denominations--in Westminster Abbey and Saint Paul's Cathedral put together, on any Sunday in the year.