obsequious

English

WOTD – 30 May 2008

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

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

• 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.

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; see also Thesaurus:sycophantic

Derived terms

• obsequiously
• obsequiousness

Translations

obedient, compliant with someone else's orders

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

  Bokmål: underdanig (no), servil

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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)
• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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)