Lickspittle
/ˈlɪkˌspɪt.əl/noun
A sycophantic flatterer; a servile, obsequious person.
Did you know?The word is a vivid English compound from the 16th century, and its disgustingly physical image helped make it one of the sharpest insults for a bootlicking flatterer.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
liccian
“to lick”
Old English
OE
spittan
“to spit”
16th Century
English
lick-spittle
“a contemptible flatterer or parasite, literally one who licks spittle”
17th Century
English
lickspittle
“a fixed insult for an obsequious sycophant”
Modern English
English
lickspittle
“a servile flatterer or sycophant”