obsequious

English

WOTD – 30 May 2008

Etymology

From Latin obsequiōsus (“complaisant, obsequious”) , from obsequium (“compliance”), from obsequor (“comply with, yield to”), from ob (“in the direction of, towards”) + sequor (“follow”) (see sequel).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /əbˈsiːkwi.əs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

obsequious (comparative more obsequious, superlative most obsequious)

1. (archaic) Obedient; compliant with someone else's orders or wishes.
2. Excessively eager and attentive to please or to obey instructions; fawning, subservient, servile.
   • 1927, Thornton Wilder, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, p. 20

     Translation falls especially short of this conceit which carries the whole flamboyance of the Spanish language. It was intended as an obsequious flattery of the Condesa, and was untrue.

   • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney: Ure Smith, published 1965, page 118:

     [S]he complained pettishly of the heat and the flies and at length of the walk, and reduced Robert to the antics of an obsequious dog.

3. (obsolete) Of or pertaining to obsequies, funereal.
   • Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene 2

     […] the survivor bound
     In filial obligation for some term
     To do obsequious sorrow […]

   • Shakespeare, Richard III, Act I, Scene 2

     Whilst I awhile obsequiously lament
     Th’ untimely fall of virtuous Lancaster.

Synonyms

• (obedient): See also Thesaurus:obedient
• (fawning or subservient): fawning, ingratiating, servile, slavish, sycophantic, truckling, smarmy asskissing ; see also Thesaurus:sycophantic

Derived terms

• obsequiously
• obsequiousness

Related terms

► English terms derived from the PIE root *sekʷ-‎ (3 c, 0 e)

Translations

obedient, compliant with someone else's orders

• Danish: underdanig
• Dutch: onderdanig (nl)
• Finnish: kuuliainen (fi)
• French: obéissant (fr), obséquieux (fr)
• German: unterwürfig, folgsam (de), gehorsam (de)
• Hungarian: engedelmes (hu)
• Latin: obsequiōsus
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: underdanig (no), servil

• Polish: służalczy (pl)
• Portuguese: obsequioso (pt)
• Romanian: obsecvios (ro)
• Russian: послу́шный (ru) (poslúšnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: podložan (sh), servilan (sh), poslušnički (sh)
• Spanish: servil (es), apatronado, obsequioso
• Swedish: inställsam (sv), underdånig (sv)

fawning, subservient

• Catalan: obsequiós
• Czech: podlézavý
• Danish: servil, slesk
• Dutch: kruiperig (nl), slaafs (nl), onderworpen (nl)
• Finnish: nöyristelevä, mielistelevä (fi), liehakoiva
• French: obséquieux (fr), soumis (fr)
• German: unterwürfig, hörig (de), servil (de), kriecherisch, devot (de)
• Greek: γλύφτης m (glýftis)
• Hungarian: alázatos (hu), szolgalelkű (hu)
• Ido: komplezachema (io), respektemacha
• Irish: spleách
• Latin: obsequiōsus, vernīlis

• Maori: whakapatipati
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: servil, slesk, sleskete

• Polish: służalczy (pl) m
• Portuguese: obsequioso (pt), submisso (pt)
• Romanian: servil (ro), obsecvios (ro)
• Russian: подобостра́стный (ru) (podobostrástnyj), раболе́пный (ru) (rabolépnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: servilan (sh), poslušnički (sh)
• Spanish: sumiso (es), obsequioso
• Swedish: underdånig (sv), krypande (sv)