fawn

fawn
fawn1
fawnlike, adj.
/fawn/, n.
1. a young deer, esp. an unweaned one.
2. a light yellowish-brown color.
adj.
3. light yellowish-brown.
v.i.
4. (of a doe) to bring forth young.
[1225-75; ME fawn, foun < MF faon, foun, feon VL *feton-, s. of *feto offspring, deriv. of L fetus FETUS]
fawn2
fawner, n.fawningly, adv.fawningness, n.
/fawn/, v.i.
1. to seek notice or favor by servile demeanor: The courtiers fawned over the king.
2. (of a dog) to behave affectionately.
[bef. 1000; ME fawnen, OE fagnian, var. of FAEGNIAN to rejoice, make glad, deriv. of faegen happy; see FAIN]
Syn. 1. toady, truckle, flatter, kowtow.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • fawn — vb Fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower are comparable when they mean to act or behave with abjectness in the presence of a superior. Fawn implies a courting of favor by such acts of a sycophant as servile flattery and exaggerated deference {they… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Fawn — Fawn, n. [OF. faon the young one of any beast, a fawn, F. faon a fawn, for fedon, fr. L. fetus. See {Fetus}.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) A young deer; a buck or doe of the first year. See {Buck}. [1913 Webster] 2. The young of an animal; a whelp. [Obs.] [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fawn — Fawn, a. Of the color of a fawn; fawn colored. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fawn — ‘young deer’ [14] and fawn ‘grovel’ [13] are two distinct words. The latter did not always have the negative associations of ‘servility’ which it usually carries today. Originally it simply referred to dogs showing they were happy – by wagging… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • fawn — ‘young deer’ [14] and fawn ‘grovel’ [13] are two distinct words. The latter did not always have the negative associations of ‘servility’ which it usually carries today. Originally it simply referred to dogs showing they were happy – by wagging… …   Word origins

  • fawn on — ˈfawn over ˈfawn on [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they fawn over he/she/it fawns over present participle fawning over past tens …   Useful english dictionary

  • Fawn — Fawn, v. i. [Cf. F. faonner.] To bring forth a fawn. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fawn — Fawn, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fawned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fawning}.] [OE. fawnen, fainen, fagnien, to rejoice, welcome, flatter, AS. f[ae]gnian to rejoice; akin to Icel. fagna to rejoice, welcome. See {Fain}.] To court favor by low cringing, frisking …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fawn — fawn·ing·ly; fawn; fawn·ing·ness; …   English syllables

  • Fawn — Fawn, n. A servile cringe or bow; mean flattery; sycophancy. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fawn — [n] baby deer baby buck, baby doe, yearling; concepts 394,400 fawn [v] ingratiate oneself to; serve abase, apple polish*, be at beck and call*, be obsequious, be servile, blandish, bow, brownnose*, buddy up*, butter up*, cajole, cater to, cave in …   New thesaurus

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