fawn

fawn¹ Definition

fawn (fôn)

intransitive verb

to show friendliness by licking hands, wagging its tail, etc.: said of a dog
to try to gain favor by acting servilely; cringe and flatter courtiers fawning on a king
to show affection in a solicitous or exaggerated way: usually with over

Etymology: ME faunen < OE fagnian < fagen, var. of fægen: see fain

fawn¹ Related Forms

fawn′er noun fawn′·ingly adverb

fawn² Definition

fawn (fôn)

noun

Etymology: ME < OFr faon, feon < LL *feto (gen. *fetonis), young animal, child < L fetus: see fetus

adjective

of this color

intransitive verb, transitive verb

to bring forth (young): said of a deer

fawn Synonyms

cringe, flatter, court, grovel, crouch, bow, stoop, kneel, creep, fall on one's knees, curry favor, toady, truckle, kowtow; see also grovel.

fawn Usage Examples

Object

magazine: Anorak pokes fun every weekday at Britain's infamous tabloids, haughty broadsheets and fawning society magazines.. .
courtier: It was so ludicrous it made you think of Mel Brooks or Monty Python playing a scene of monstrous king and fawning courtiers.
letter: Months later, on October 7, 1996, he will receive a guilty, fawning letter from McVeigh's lawyer Steven Jones.

Converse of object

allow: Females do not always allow other fawns to suckle, often they behave aggressively toward them.

Preposition: at

foot: But that is no excuse for reporters fawning at the feet of the first tory leader to show signs of electability.

Adjective modifier

pinkish: Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads pinkish fawn.
own: Allosuckling was only successful if the female's own fawn was already sucking.
other: Females do not always allow other fawns to suckle, often they behave aggressively toward them.
light: The color is usually a dark brown shading to light fawn.
young: Description: In Kingdom Hearts, Bambi is a sweet, young fawn, not yet matured into the king of the forest.
pale: Body: Cream, deepening to pale warm fawn on the back.

Modifies a noun

female: Lot 32A, flax fawn female with mid brown calf at foot, 4,000gns to Gilmour Bank Alpacas.
color: It comes on a good quality fawn color leather strap with polished steel pin buckle.
cattle: There is no significant difference between light brown and fawn cattle.
silver: Silver Abyssinians are a separate group which includes black silver, blue silver, fawn silver and sorrel silver.
band: It owes its name to a fawn band across its chest.
bitch: It was 1984 when the National Great Dane Rescue told me that they had a fawn bitch for adoption.

Followed by an intransitive particle

upon: And if you are a disciple and become a teacher, don't allow yourself to be uncritically fawned upon.
over: Not something that is going to be put in an art gallery, and fawned over by the many critics in this world.

Preposition: in

color: The bones tended to be in a fair state of preservation, rounded, and were fawn in color.

fawn Quotes

She's like a delicate fawn, crossed with a Buick.

—Nicholson, Bill

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