sycophant

English

WOTD – 7 July 2006

Etymology

First attested in 1537. From Latin sȳcophanta (“informer, trickster”), from Ancient Greek συκοφάντης (sukophántēs), itself from σῦκον (sûkon, “fig”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “I 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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪkəfænt/, /ˈsɪkəfənt/, /ˈsaɪkəfænt/, /ˈsaɪkəfənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

sycophant (plural sycophants)

1. One who uses obsequious compliments to gain self-serving favor or advantage from another; a servile flatterer.

   Synonyms: ass-kisser, brown noser, suck up, yes man; see also Thesaurus:sycophant

   • 1683, John Dryden, “The Art of Poetry”, Canto I:

     A sycophant will everything admire: / Each verse, each sentence, sets his soul on fire

2. One who seeks to gain through the powerful and influential.

   Synonyms: parasite, flunky, lackey; see also Thesaurus:sycophant

3. (obsolete) An informer; a talebearer.
   • 1580, Sir Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, Book II:

     […] his mind had no eye to espy goodness; and therefore accusing sycophants, of all men, did best sort to his nature.

Derived terms

• sycophancy
• sycophantic
• sycophantish
• sycophantism

 

Translations

one who uses compliments to gain self-serving favor or advantage from another person.

• Arabic: مُتَمَلِّق ذَلِيل m (mutamalliq ḏalīl)
• Armenian: պնակալեզ (hy) (pnakalez), քծնող (kʻcnoġ)
• Azerbaijani: yaltaq (az)
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: подлизурко (bg) m (podlizurko), подмазвач m (podmazvač)
• Burmese: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: sicofanta (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 擦鞋仔 (caat³ haai⁴ zai²) (male), 擦鞋狗 (caat³ haai⁴ gau²) (derogatory)

  Mandarin: 巴兒狗／巴儿狗 (zh) (bārgǒu), 巴儿狗 (zh) (bārgǒu)

• Czech: patolízal (cs) m, pochlebovač m
• Danish: spytslikker c, rygklapper c, røvslikker c (vulgar), sykofant c, hofsnog c, øjentjener c (obsolete)
• Dutch: gatlikker (nl), kontlikker (nl), kruiper (nl), pluimstrijker, bruinwerker (nl), vleier (nl)
• Esperanto: flatisto, flatulo
• Estonian: takkakiitja, pealekaebaja
• Finnish: hännystelijä (fi), mielistelijä (fi), imartelija (fi), (vulgar) perseennuolija (fi)
• French: flagorneur (fr) m, lèche-bottes (fr) m or f, (vulgar) lèche-cul (fr) m or f
• Galician: candongueiro m, compangón m, gaioleiro m, lambecús m, labiantón m, louvamiñeiro m, lambespiñas m, mingamona f, panxolas m, paraxismeiro (gl) m, blandicioso m, boriante m, trasloeiro m, cirigaitas m, aleimador m, gariteiro m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Kriecher m, Schmeichler (de) m, Speichellecker (de) m, Schleimer (de) m
• Greek: κόλακας (el) m (kólakas), false friend: συκοφάντης (el) m (sykofántis)
• Hebrew: חנפן (he) m (khanfán)
• Hungarian: talpnyaló (hu)
• Icelandic: smjaðrari m, höfðingjasleikja f, undirlægja f
• Italian: ruffiano (it) m, delatore (it) m, leccaculo (it) m, adulatore (it) m, sicofante (it) m, leccapiedi m
• Japanese: ごますり (gomasuri)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: pataikūnas m
• Macedonian: подлизурко m (podlizurko)
• Maltese: lagħqi m
• Manx: foalserey
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: spyttslikker (no) m, spyttsleiker
• Pashto: چاپلوس (ps) m (čāplus), چاپلوسه (ps) f (čāplusa)
• Persian: متملق (fa) (motemalleq), چاپلوس (fa) (chAplus), خایه‌مال (xAye-mAl) (vulgar, derogatory)
• Polish: pochlebca (pl), cmokier (pl), lizus (pl) m
• Portuguese: sicofanta (pt) m or f, bajulador (pt) m, adulador (pt) m, lambe-botas (pt) m, puxa-saco (pt) m, assecla (pt) m or f
• Romanian: lingău (ro) m, pupincurist m
• Russian: льстец (ru) m (lʹstec), подхали́м (ru) m (podxalím), лизоблю́д (ru) m (lizobljúd), подли́за (ru) m or f (podlíza)
• Scots: kiss-ma-luif
• Scottish Gaelic: sodalaiche m
• Serbo-Croatian: sikofant (sh) m, sikofantica (sh) f

  Cyrillic: улизица m or f

  Roman: ulizica (sh) m or f

• Spanish: sicofanta (es) m, adulador (es) m, pelota (es) m, lameculos (es), chupamedias (es) m or f, pelotillero (es) m (Spain), acomedido (es) m, barbero (es) m (Mexico), lamebotas m or f, arrastrado (es) m (Cuba, Uruguay, Venezuela, El Salvador)
• Swedish: smickrare (sv) c, sykofant (sv) c, lismare (sv) c
• Tagalog: sipsip
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: dalkavuk (tr)
• Vietnamese: nịnh hót (vi)
• Welsh: gwenieithwr m

Verb

sycophant (third-person singular simple present sycophants, present participle sycophanting, simple past and past participle sycophanted)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To inform against; hence, to calumniate.
   • 1642, John Milton, Apology for Smectymnuus:

     As therefore he began in the title, so in the next leaf he makes it his first business to tamper with his reader by sycophanting and misnaming the work of his adversary.

2. (transitive, rare) To play the sycophant toward; to flatter obsequiously.

Further reading

• sycophant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia