adulor

Latin

Etymology

The first component is evidently ad- (“to, toward”); the second one, however, has an obscure origin. It has been conjectured to come from an unattested *ūlos (“tail”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“hair; wool”), whence English wool (via Proto-Germanic) and velvet (via a Latin diminutive). Compare Lithuanian valai (“horsetail hair”) and Sanskrit वाल (vā́la, “tail of an animal; tail hair; fur”). The sense development might indicate a likening of such behavior to the wagging of a dog's tail, which is similarly deemed servile and submissive. Nevertheless, according to de Vaan (2008), those supposed cognates come from a Proto-Indo-European root that had no terminal i sound, which implies that it would not have yielded a Latin reflex with a long u in it (like adūlor).^[1]

Alternatively, de Vaan (2007) connected it to avidus (“eager; avid”), through a root *adūlo-, from an earlier *adaulo, d-to-l dissimilation of *adaudo, from Proto-Italic *adawiþo (“eager toward [something or someone]”, adjective), so by surface analysis, ad +‎ avidus, with meaning specialization: “eager toward someone” > “eager to get one's attention and favor” (to the point of fawning).^[2]

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [aˈduː.ɫɔr]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [aˈd̪uː.lor]

Verb

adūlor (present infinitive adūlārī, perfect active adūlātus sum); first conjugation, deponent

to fawn upon
to flatter or court
to make obeisance to

Usage notes

This verb has a regularised form, adūlō.

Conjugation

Conjugation of adūlor (first conjugation, deponent)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	adūlor	adūlāris, adūlāre		adūlātur	adūlāmur	adūlāminī		adūlantur
	imperfect	adūlābar	adūlābāris, adūlābāre		adūlābātur	adūlābāmur	adūlābāminī		adūlābantur
	future	adūlābor	adūlāberis, adūlābere		adūlābitur	adūlābimur	adūlābiminī		adūlābuntur
	perfect	adūlātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	adūlātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	adūlātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular				plural
subjunctive		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	adūler	adūlēris, adūlēre		adūlētur	adūlēmur	adūlēminī		adūlentur
	imperfect	adūlārer	adūlārēris, adūlārēre		adūlārētur	adūlārēmur	adūlārēminī		adūlārentur
	perfect	adūlātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	adūlātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular				plural
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	adūlāre		—	—	adūlāminī		—
active	future	—	adūlātor		adūlātor	—	—		adūlantor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		adūlārī		—		adūlāns		—
future		adūlātūrum esse		—		adūlātūrus		adūlandus
perfect		adūlātum esse		—		adūlātus		—
future perfect		adūlātum fore		—		—		—
perfect potential		adūlātūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		adūlandī	adūlandō		adūlandum	adūlandō	adūlātum		adūlātū

Derived terms

Descendants

English: adulate
French: aduler
Italian: adulare
Portuguese: adular
Spanish: adular

References

^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008) Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series), volume 7, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 25
^ de Vaan, Michiel (2007) “Greek and Latin from an Indo-European Perspective”, in Coulter George, Matthew McCullagh, Benedicte Nielsen, Antonia Ruppel, and Olga Tribulato, editors, Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society, Supplementary Volume 32, volume viii, number 214, The Cambridge Philological Society Cambridge, →ISBN, The etymology of Latin adūlāre, pages 140–144