English Explanatory Dictionary

fawn

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A young deer.
  2. A pale brown colour tinted with yellow, like that of a fawn.
  3. The young of an animal; a whelp.
adj
  1. Of the fawn colour.
verb
  1. To give birth to a fawn.
verb
  1. To show devotion or submissiveness by wagging its tail, nuzzling, licking, etc.
  2. To exhibit affection toward someone.
  3. To attempt to please someone.
  4. To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour.
noun
  1. A servile cringe or bow.
  2. Base flattery.

Pronunciation

/fɔːn/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-fawn.wav /fɔn/ /fɑn/

Word forms

fawn fawns fawning fawned

Etymology

From Middle English fawne, fowne, foun, from Old French faon, foon, feon, from Vulgar Latin *fētōnem, from Latin fētus (“offspring, young”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suckle, nurse”). Displaced native Old English hindċealf (literally “deer calf”). Doublet of fetus.

Synonyms

deerling grovel wheedle soft-soap toady apple-polish bootlick bow and scrape brownnose butter up dickride duchess fawn fawn over fellate flannel honey around honey up kiss someone's ass kiss someone's ring kiss up kowtow lick someone's ass lick someone's balls overflatter overpraise overrate suck up

Derived words

fawn antechinus fawnish fawnlike fawnling Fawnlock fawn response fawnskin in fawn fawn lily fawner fawn over outfawn overfawn
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on F Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary