Synonyms for sycophantically
| Grammar : Adv |
| Spell : sik-uh-fuhnt, -fant, sahy-kuh- |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈsɪk ə fənt, -ˌfænt, ˈsaɪ kə- |
Définition of sycophantically
Origin :- 1530s (in Latin form sycophanta), "informer, talebearer, slanderer," from Latin sycophanta, from Greek sykophantes, originally "one who shows the fig," from sykon "fig" + phanein "to show." "Showing the fig" was a vulgar gesture made by sticking the thumb between two fingers, a display which vaguely resembles a fig, itself symbolic of a vagina (sykon also meant "vulva"). The story goes that prominent politicians in ancient Greece held aloof from such inflammatory gestures, but privately urged their followers to taunt their opponents. The sense of "mean, servile flatterer" is first recorded in English 1570s.
- As in obsequiously : adv servilely
- “Forty,” said Puffin sycophantically, as he thought over what he would say about himself when the old man had finished.
- Extract from : « Miss Mapp » by Edward Frederic Benson
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Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019