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fawn¹

(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.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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