Message-ID: <28052185.1075846793131.JavaMail.evans@thyme>
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 16:01:00 -0800 (PST)
From: wsmith@wordsmith.org
To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gnathonic
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-From: Wordsmith <wsmith@wordsmith.org>
X-To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org
X-cc: 
X-bcc: 
X-Folder: \Susan_Scott_Dec2000_June2001_2\Notes Folders\Notes inbox
X-Origin: SCOTT-S
X-FileName: sscott5.nsf

gnathonic (na-THON-ik) adjective

   Sycophantic; fawning.

[From Latin gnathonicus, derivative of Gnathon- (stem of Gnatho) name of
a sycophantic character in the Roman comedy Eunuchus by Terence.]

   "And that's why today any myrmidon, any gnathonic sycophant, any
   obsequious assistant or menial hanger-on is called a toadeater or, more
   often, a toady."
   Michael Gartner, Words, Newsday, Dec 27, 1987.

This week's theme: fictional characters who live on in the dictionary.

............................................................................
A man there was, tho' some did count him mad / The more he cast away, the
more he had. -John Bunyan, preacher (1628-1688) [Pilgrim's Progress]

Q: Some time ago you featured a quote about foo in AWAD. Could you resend it?
A: You may search the archives at http://wordsmith.org/awad/search.html
   or browse them at http://wordsmith.org/awad/archives.html All the
   words and quotes since the beginning of AWAD are available there.

Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/gnathonic.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/gnathonic.ram