Where does “lickspittle” come from?
lickspittle (English) comes from English spittle, from English spit, from Middle English spit, from Middle English despit, from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectus, from Latin dēspiciō, from Latin dē- — afterwards, post; by, at.
lickspittle (English): A fawning toady; a base sycophant; The practice...
Definitions
- A fawning toady; a base sycophant; The practice...
Ancestry of “lickspittle”, step by step
lickspittle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spittle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spittle | Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration;... |
| 2 | English | spit | A thin metal or wooden rod on which meat is... |
| 3 | Middle English | spit | — |
| 4 | Middle English | despit | — |
| 5 | Old French | despit | — |
| 6 | Latin | dēspectus | disdained, despised |
| 7 | Latin | dēspiciō | to look down upon |
| 8 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 9 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 10 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 11 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
via English lick
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lick | The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue; The... |
| 2 | German | leute | people several individual persons, a group of people in general, esp. of one kind or another, folk (folks), peeps slang, guys (boys and/or girls) |
| 3 | Middle High German | liute | — |
| 4 | Old High German | liuti | people, subordinates |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *liud(i) | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | liudīz | man, person |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁léwdʰis | people |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁lewdʰ- | to grow; people |