sycophanta

Latin

Alternative forms

  • sūcophanta

Etymology

From Ancient Greek συκοφάντης (sukophántēs, slanderer), from σῦκον (sûkon, fig) + φαίνω (phaínō, I show).

Pronunciation

Noun

sȳcophanta m (genitive sȳcophantae); first declension

  1. A snitch, informant
  2. A slanderer
  3. A trickster

Declension

First-declension noun.

singular plural
nominative sȳcophanta sȳcophantae
genitive sȳcophantae sȳcophantārum
dative sȳcophantae sȳcophantīs
accusative sȳcophantam sȳcophantās
ablative sȳcophantā sȳcophantīs
vocative sȳcophanta sȳcophantae

Descendants

  • Catalan: sicofanta (learned), sicofant
  • English: sycophant
  • French: sycophante
  • Italian: sicofante
  • Portuguese: sicofanta (learned)
  • Romanian: sicofant
  • Spanish: sicofanta (learned), sicofante

References

  • sycophanta”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • sycophanta”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • sycophanta in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.