fawn

[fawn]

See more synonyms for fawn on Thesaurus.com

noun

a young deer, especially an unweaned one.
a light yellowish-brown color.

adjective

light yellowish-brown.

verb (used without object)

(of a doe) to bring forth young.

Origin of fawn

1225–75; Middle English fawn, foun < Middle French faon, foun, feon ≪ Vulgar Latin *fētōn-, stem of *fētō offspring, derivative of Latin fētus fetus

Related formsfawn·like, adjective

Can be confusedfaun fawn

fawn

[fawn]

verb (used without object)

to seek notice or favor by servile demeanor: The courtiers fawned over the king.
(of a dog) to behave affectionately.

Origin of fawn

before 1000; Middle English fawnen, Old English fagnian, variant of fægnian to rejoice, make glad, derivative of fægen happy; see fain

Related formsfawn·er, nounfawn·ing·ly, adverbfawn·ing·ness, noun

Synonyms for fawn

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1. toady, truckle, flatter, kowtow.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for fawned

crouch, grovel, defer, kowtow, flatter, stroke, submit, toady, creep, cotton, pander, debase, snow, scrape, jolly, stoop, woo, cajole, abase, kneel

Examples from the Web for fawned

Contemporary Examples of fawned

After Animal House, Doug Kenney was a hot property, a commodity to be fawned over and fought for.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon
Robert Sam Anson
March 1, 2014
Pawlenty was once considered presidential timber, fawned over in national profiles as the future of the Republican Party.
Mitt Romney’s Minnesota Defeat Humiliates Tim Pawlenty in Home State
Ben Jacobs
February 8, 2012
They have been feted via Twitter and fawned over by the Japanese media.
A Nuclear Meltdown Survivor Story
Tony Doukopil
March 17, 2011

Historical Examples of fawned

Also, like a faithful dog, Guido Bombini fawned close to him.
The Mutiny of the Elsinore
Jack London
That girl's eyes, like a little adoring dog's—that girl, who had fawned on her so!
Beyond
John Galsworthy
I returned his caresses as he fawned on me, finding me not dead as he supposed.
In the Wilds of Florida
W.H.G. Kingston
Ugly and cross as the dog was, he fawned on her, and the old woman had left him to her care.
Granny's Wonderful Chair
Frances Browne
Ucatella was the first to see him coming, and came and fawned on him with delight.
A Simpleton
Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for fawned

fawn

noun

a young deer of either sex aged under one year
1. a light greyish-brown colour
2. (as adjective)a fawn raincoat
in fawn (of deer) pregnant

verb

(of deer) to bear (young)

Derived Formsfawnlike, adjective

Word Origin for fawn

C14: from Old French faon, from Latin fētus offspring; see fetus

fawn

verb (intr; often foll by on or upon)

to seek attention and admiration (from) by cringing and flattering
(of animals, esp dogs) to try to please by a show of extreme friendliness and fondness (towards)

Derived Formsfawner, nounfawning, adjectivefawningly, adverbfawningness, noun

Word Origin for fawn

Old English fægnian to be glad, from fægen glad; see fain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fawned

fawn

"young deer," mid-14c., from Anglo-French (late 13c.), Old French faon, feon "young animal" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *fetonem (nominative *feto), from Latin fetus "an offspring" (see fetus). Still used of the young of any animal in King James I's private translation of the Psalms, but mainly of deer from 15c. Color use is 1881.

fawn

Old English fægnian "rejoice, be glad, exult," from fægen "glad" (see fain); used in Middle English to refer to expressions of delight, especially a dog wagging its tail (early 13c.), hence "court favor, grovel, act slavishly" (early 14c.). Related: Fawned; fawning.