adulor

Forms

adūlor (present infinitive adūlārī, perfect active adūlātus sum); first conjugation, deponent^[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.^[2][1] It has the form of a denominal verb, from ad- and a noun *ūlos (“tail”) that the OLD and Wiktionary compare with Sanskrit वाल (vālá-, “tail-hair”); de Vaan notes that Lithuanian valaĩ (“horse's tail”) and the Sanskrit word point to a root that would not give a Latin long ⟨ū⟩.^[3][1][2] He has proposed instead a link with aveō (“to be eager”): an adjective *ad-awiþo- "eager towards" would have become *ad-audo- and then, by dissimilation, *adūlo- "flatterer".^[2] Festus thought it a form of allūdō (“to play with”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Cicero, who tells an opponent that he wanted to see him fawning on everyone.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Its basic image is the fawning of animals: Seneca bids us look at wild beasts fawning on their master, and Ovid has a troop of fawning beasts.^[3][4] Valerius Maximus uses it of bowing low in the Persian manner.^[3] Most often it is to flatter or court someone in a servile way, with an accusative or, more rarely, a dative.^[3][4] Lewis & Short contrast it with assentor, to agree with everything someone says, and blandior, to flatter with soft words and winning manners.^[4] A declamation ascribed to Quintilian uses it of a face that pleases the eyes.^[3]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of a man fawning on everyone.^[3][2][5]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid of fawning beasts.^[4][5]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca the Younger of beasts fawning on their master.^[3][5]
• 1777 – English adulate is back-formed from adulation.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. Of dogs and other animals, to fawn upon.^[3][4][1]
2. To make obeisance to.^[3][1]
3. To flatter or court servilely, fawn upon, adulate.^[3][4][1]
4. To please, gratify the sight.^[3]

Word family

• adūlābilis
• adūlāns
• adūlātiō
• adūlātor
• adūlātrīx

Related words

• English adulate

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com