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   sycophant

   /ˈsɪkəfant/

   noun

   • 1. a person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage: "because he is high-ranking, he's surrounded by sycophants"

   Word Origin mid 16th century (denoting an informer): from French sycophante, or via Latin from Greek sukophantēs ‘informer’, from sukon ‘fig’ + phainein ‘to show’, perhaps with reference to making the insulting gesture of the ‘fig’ (sticking the thumb between two fingers) to informers.

   Scrabble Points: 19

   • S

     1

   • Y

     4

   • C

     3

   • O

     1

   • P

     3

   • H

     4

   • A

     1

   • N

     1

   • T

     1

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