fawn

fawn
{{11}}fawn (n.) "young deer," mid-14c., from Anglo-Fr. (late 13c.), from O.Fr. faon, feon "young animal" (12c.), from V.L. *fetonem, acc. of *feto, from L. fetus "an offspring" (see FETUS (Cf. fetus)). Still used of the young of any animal in King James I's private translation of the Psalms, but mainly of deer from 15c. Color use is 1881.
{{12}}fawn (v.) O.E. fægnian "rejoice, be glad, exult," from fægen "glad" (see FAIN (Cf. fain)); used in M.E. to refer to expressions of delight, especially a dog wagging its tail (early 13c.), hence "court favor, grovel, act slavishly" (early 14c.). Related: Fawned; fawning.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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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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