definitions

lickspittle

[ lik-spit-l ]
/ ˈlɪkˌspɪt l /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lickspittle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a contemptible, fawning person; a servile flatterer or toady.

RELATED WORDS

flatterer, flunky, lackey, sycophant, toady, ass-kisser, bootlicker, groveler

Nearby words

lickerish, lickerishly, lickety-split, licking, licking river, lickspittle, licorice, licorice stick, lictor, lictorian, lid
Also Archaic, lick·spit [lik-spit] /ˈlɪkˌspɪt/.

Origin of lickspittle

First recorded in 1620–30; lick + spittle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lickspittle

  • You get up right after midnight to practice being a lickspittle and a trimmer!

    Such is Life|Frank Wedekind

British Dictionary definitions for lickspittle

lickspittle

/ (ˈlɪkˌspɪtəl) /

noun

a flattering or servile person
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 lickspittle

lickspittle

n.

also lick-spittle, "sycophant, abject toady," 1741, from lick (v.1) + spittle.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper