Sycophants
/ˈsɪkəfænts/noun
People who flatter powerful people in order to gain an advantage.
Did you know?The Greek word sykophantēs may literally mean “fig-shower,” but ancient writers already used it for a meddlesome accuser or informer, showing how words for ordinary objects can mutate into social weapons.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
sykophantēs
“a professional informer, accuser, or one who makes malicious legal charges”
Classical Greek
Greek
sykon
“fig”
Late Greek / Hellenistic
Greek
sykophantein
“to play the informer, to make false accusations”
Late Latin
Latin
sycophanta
“an informer or slanderer”
14th–16th Century
Middle English
sycophant
“a slanderer or talebearer”
Modern English
English
sycophant
“a servile flatterer who seeks favor from someone powerful”