230:
409:
243:
charge against one's enemies, or to take a wide variety of actions of an official nature with the authorities, including introducing decrees, acting as an advocate or a witness, bribing ecclesiastical or civil authorities and juries, or other questionable things, with which one did not want to be personally associated. Sycophants were viewed as uncontrolled and parasitic, lacking proper regard for truth or for justice in a matter, using their education and skill to destroy opponents for profit in matters where they had no stake, lacking even the convictions of politicians, and having no sense of serving the public good.
47:
1118:
361:
396:
The Greek plays often combined in one single character the elements of the parasite and the sycophant, and the natural similarities of the two closely related types led to the shift in the meaning of the word. The sycophant in both meanings can also be viewed as two sides of the same coin: the same person currying one's favor by insincere flattery is also spreading false tales and accusations behind one's back.
259:), defend themselves against charges that they are sycophants because they are prosecuting cases as private citizens in circumstances where they have no personal stake in the underlying dispute. In each instance, the lack of personal involvement appears to have been the crux of the accusation of sycophancy against them, the merits of the cases being separate matters from whether they had a right to bring them.
220:
suggests that the term was "slightly obscene", connoting a kind of perversion, and may have had a web of meanings derived from the symbolism of figs in ancient Greek culture, ranging from the improper display of one's "figs" by being overly aggressive in pursuing a prosecution, the unseemly revealing
395:
The meaning in
English has changed over time, however, and came to mean an insincere flatterer. The common thread in the older and current meanings is that the sycophant is in both instances portrayed as a kind of parasite, speaking falsely and insincerely in the accusation or the flattery for gain.
242:
who was over-eager to prosecute, and who had no personal stake in the underlying dispute, but brings up old charges unrelated to himself long after the event. Sycophants included those who profited from using their position as citizens for profit. For instance, one could hire a sycophant to bring a
267:
Efforts were made to discourage or suppress sycophants, including imposing fines on litigants who failed to obtain at least one fifth of the jury's votes, or for abandoning a case after it had begun (as would occur if the sycophant was bribed to drop the matter), and authorizing the prosecution of
237:
The traditional view is that the opprobrium against sycophants was attached to the bringing of an unjustified complaint, hoping either to obtain the payment for a successful case, or to blackmail the defendant into paying a bribe to drop the case. Other scholars have suggested that the sycophant,
201:
A different explanation of the origin of the term by
Shadwell was that the sycophant refers to the manner in which figs are harvested, by shaking the tree and revealing the fruit hidden among the leaves. The sycophant, by making false accusations, makes the accused yield up their fruit. The
399:
In
Renaissance English, the word was used in both senses and meanings, that of the Greek informer, and the current sense of a "flattering parasite", with both being cast as enemies—not only of those they wrong, but also of the person or state that they ostensibly serve.
357:) is when the fact is a lie, and the person who claims or spreads it knows that. The first case is punishable with up to two years' imprisonment or a fine, whereas slanderous defamation is punishable with at least three months' imprisonment and a fine.
183:
appears to be the first to have suggested that the source of the term was in laws forbidding the exportation of figs, and that those who leveled the accusation against another of illegally exporting figs were therefore called sycophants.
197:
repeats this story, but adds an additional take—that there were laws making it a capital offense to break into a garden and steal figs, and that the law was so odious that informers were given the name sycophants.
100:. By the fifth century BC this practice had given rise to abuse by "sycophants": litigants who brought unjustified prosecutions. The word retains the same meaning ('slanderer') in
820:
326:
refers to someone that purposely spreads lies about a person, in order to harm this person’s reputation, or otherwise insult his honor (i.e. a slanderer), and
213:", an "obscene gesture of phallic significance" or, alternatively that the false charges were often so insubstantial as to not amount to the worth of a fig.
351:) "whoever who with in any way claims or spreads for someone else a fact that could harm that person's honor or reputation", whereas slanderous defamation (
55:
251:
The charge of sycophancy against a litigant was a serious matter, and the authors of two surviving oratories, "Against the Grain
Dealers" (author
1096:
Classical
Association of the Middle States and Maryland, Classical Association of the Atlantic States (1919). "The Classical Weekly, Volume 12".
1020:. Revised and in part rewritten by A.L. Mayhew. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Company. pp. 327–328 – via Google Books.
229:
629:
Sussman, Lyle (1980). "Sex and sycophancy: Communication strategies for ascendance in same-sex and mixed-sex superior-subordinate dyads".
745:
203:
296:
attempting to sell his daughters is confronted by a sycophant who accuses him of illegally attempting to sell foreign goods; and a
209:
listed these and other explanations, including that the making of false accusations was an insult to the accused in the nature of "
709:
108:(where it also can mean 'informer'), and Italian. In modern English, the meaning of the word has shifted to its present usage.
1081:
619:
386:
entered the
English and French languages in the mid-16th century, and originally had the same meaning in English and French (
221:
of the private matters of those accused of wrongdoing, to the inappropriate timing of harvesting figs when they are unripe.
1154:
693:
300:
purchases a sycophant as a typical
Athenian product that he cannot obtain at home. A sycophant appears as a character in
193:
1042:
883:
856:
803:
1122:
216:
Generally, scholars have dismissed these explanations as inventions, long after the original meaning had been lost.
1164:
1149:
132:) is a matter of debate, but disparages the unjustified accuser who has in some way perverted the legal system.
312:, the character, Sycophant, defends his role as a necessity in supporting the laws and preventing wrongdoing.
17:
408:
179:'to show') "revealer of figs"—has been the subject of extensive scholarly speculation and conjecture.
1144:
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60:
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38:
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899:
364:
270:
1032:
1015:
873:
846:
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683:
88:(i.e., insincere flattery to gain advantage). The word has its origin in the legal system of
954:[Sycophant] (in French). Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales. 2012
392:) as in Greek, a false accuser. Today, in Greek and French it retains the original meaning.
1139:
239:
1061:, vol. 15, American Association of University Professors of Italian, 1997, p. 80
419:
shows insincere flatterers grovelling in excrement in the second pit of the eighth circle.
8:
739:
631:
563:
553:
1095:
996:
648:
306:. One of his lost plays had, as its principal theme, an attack against a sycophant. In
256:
189:
96:
as there was no police force and only a limited number of officially appointed public
65:
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852:
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rather than being disparaged for being motivated by profit, was instead viewed as a
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301:
89:
494:
459:
427:
given to gain advantage from a superior. A user of sycophancy is referred to as a
583:
568:
416:
105:
46:
479:
454:
449:
444:
951:
288:
217:
77:
484:
1133:
749:. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 276–277.
734:
538:
307:
117:
93:
84:
denotes an "insincere flatterer" and is used to refer to someone practising
821:"Me, Tucker Carlson and the danger to democracy posed by false allegations"
533:
283:
101:
51:
1076:, translated by Ladislaus Loeb, Continuum International Publishing Group,
514:
504:
474:
464:
31:
1117:
558:
489:
795:
The World of
Prometheus: The Politics of Punishing in Democratic Athens
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342:
97:
509:
428:
185:
499:
469:
991:
573:
548:
543:
424:
210:
180:
360:
297:
1031:
Elizabeth I (2008). Mueller, Janel & Scodel, Joshua (eds.).
738:
798:. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. pp. 156–164.
710:"συκοφάνÏ"ης - Ελληνοαγγλικό Λεξικό WordReference.com"
293:
252:
174:
166:
158:
152:
144:
136:
127:
121:
597:
Clark, L. P. (1934). "A Psychological Study of
Sycophancy".
341:
In legal terms, Article 362 of the Greek Penal Code defines
1104:. Classical Association of the Atlantic States, 1919: 128.
282:
Sycophants are better illustrated through the satires of
688:. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. pp. 62–66.
274:
were specifically adopted to try to prevent sycophancy.
1074:
Grovelling and other vices: the sociology of sycophancy
92:. Most legal cases of the time were brought by private
1037:. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 378.
377:
1071:
262:
1131:
878:. Princeton University Press. pp. 173–174.
851:. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 255–256.
27:Insincere flattery, once meant a false accuser
434:Alternative phrases are often used such as:
387:
37:"Toady" redirects here. For other uses, see
1030:
844:
677:
675:
673:
671:
669:
352:
346:
333:
332:is doing so (i.e. slander, n., to slander:
327:
321:
838:
614:(Reprint ed.). Whitefish: Kessinger.
56:The Sycophantic Fox and the Gullible Raven
1024:
990:
845:Apollodorus (1999). Kapparis, K.A (ed.).
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681:
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666:
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228:
45:
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14:
1132:
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1007:
759:
403:
224:
944:
818:
791:
753:
596:
871:
819:Allen, Danielle (12 November 2020).
776:
772:(3): 46–50 – via Google Books.
135:The original etymology of the word (
1065:
1034:Elizabeth I: Translations 1592–1598
875:Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens
865:
24:
590:
378:Shift in meaning in modern English
255:) and "Against Leocrates" (author
25:
1181:
1111:
1014:Trench, Richard Chenevix (1903).
1116:
315:
188:provided a similar explanation.
1089:
1051:
918:
373:, is synonymous with sycophancy
263:Measures to suppress sycophants
70:I admire your beautiful plumage
973:Lofberg, J.O. (January 1920).
926:"Ποινικός Κώδικας - Άρθρο 362"
900:"Ποινικός Κώδικας - Άρθρο 363"
892:
812:
760:Henkle, W.D. (February 1873).
702:
682:MacDowell, Douglas M. (1986).
13:
1:
1121:The dictionary definition of
660:
610:Lofberg, John Oscar (2008) .
167:
159:
145:
137:
128:
111:
7:
1155:Interpersonal relationships
1072:Alphons Silbermann (2000),
792:Allen, Danielle S. (2003).
685:The Law in Classical Athens
521:
246:
68:; in French, the fox says "
10:
1186:
277:
268:men for being sycophants.
175:
153:
122:
36:
29:
1047:– via Google Books.
1003:– via Google Books.
888:– via Google Books.
861:– via Google Books.
808:– via Google Books.
698:– via Google Books.
529:Authoritarian personality
353:
347:
334:
328:
322:
1017:English Past and Present
975:"The Sycophant-Parasite"
423:Sycophancy is insincere
367:, from Charles Dickens’
61:Fables for the Frivolous
30:Not to be confused with
1165:Harassment and bullying
1150:Greek words and phrases
746:Encyclopædia Britannica
320:In daily use, the term
205:Encyclopædia Britannica
762:"That is a Sycophant?"
420:
388:
374:
271:Statutes of Limitation
234:
233:Lysias, by Jean Dedieu
73:
872:Ober, Josiah (2009).
714:www.wordreference.com
599:Psychoanalytic Review
411:
363:
354:συκοφαντική δυσφήμηση
232:
49:
766:The National Teacher
612:Sycophancy in Athens
1098:Classical Philology
979:Classical Philology
825:The Washington Post
564:Narcissistic supply
415:'s illustration of
404:Related expressions
225:In Athenian culture
645:10.1007/bf00288366
421:
375:
240:vexatious litigant
235:
116:The origin of the
74:
66:Guy Wetmore Carryl
1083:978-0-485-11544-4
740:"Sycophant"
621:978-1-4304-9346-4
579:Suck up kick down
370:David Copperfield
16:(Redirected from
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431:or a “yes-man.”
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72:" to the raven
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985:(1): 61–72.
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956:. Retrieved
952:"Sycophante"
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934:. Retrieved
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828:. Retrieved
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460:brown nosing
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52:Peter Newell
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1140:Etymologies
936:14 December
930:www.c00.org
910:14 December
904:www.c00.org
830:12 November
719:14 December
495:lickspittle
157:'fig', and
129:sykophántēs
98:prosecutors
32:Psychopathy
18:Sycophantic
1134:Categories
1124:sycophancy
932:(in Greek)
906:(in Greek)
661:References
505:sucking up
480:grovelling
455:bootlicker
413:Botticelli
389:sycophante
365:Uriah Heep
343:defamation
329:συκοφαντία
323:συκοφάντης
123:συκοφάντης
86:sycophancy
1001:161636659
653:143580814
632:Sex Roles
490:kowtowing
485:hanger-on
429:sycophant
384:sycophant
382:The word
348:δυσφήμηση
335:συκοφαντώ
303:The Birds
186:Athenaeus
112:Etymology
94:litigants
82:sycophant
605:: 15–39.
574:Sidekick
549:Henchman
544:Enabling
522:See also
425:flattery
298:Boeotian
294:Megarian
257:Lycurgus
247:Orations
181:Plutarch
160:phainein
515:yes man
500:simping
470:fawning
465:crawler
278:Satires
1080:
1041:
999:
958:4 July
882:
855:
802:
692:
651:
618:
569:Poodle
559:Minion
554:Lackey
475:flunky
309:Wealth
253:Lysias
106:French
39:Toadie
997:S2CID
649:S2CID
510:toady
286:. In
176:φανης
168:fanēs
154:συκος
146:sykos
138:sukon
120:word
64:, by
58:" in
1078:ISBN
1039:ISBN
960:2013
938:2022
912:2022
880:ISBN
853:ISBN
832:2020
800:ISBN
721:2022
690:ISBN
616:ISBN
292:, a
987:doi
641:doi
338:).
76:In
1136::
1102:12
1100:.
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983:15
981:.
977:.
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823:.
778:^
768:.
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712:.
668:^
647:.
635:.
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723:.
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624:.
345:(
172:/
164:/
150:/
142:/
126:(
41:.
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
