Vocab from the Bartimaeus Trilogy: Sycophantic

wondrous memeWelcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, a great meme for people who take the time to look up unknown words they come across in their reading.  Visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion for links to more interesting vocab.

I’m listening to the audio book of The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud.  It’s well done. In one scene, the great djinni Bartimaeus beats up a lesser imp to obtain valuable information. Once Bartimaeus puts a bolder on top of the imp, he’s willing to talk.  I can’t remember the exact sentence my word appeared in, but it was something like,

After I had the information I needed, I grew tired of his sycophanic drivel.

See the amulet in the gargoyle's hand?

sycophantic \sik-ə-‘fant-ik\ adj from Greek sykophantes, informer; characterized by a sycophant, which is a servile, self-seeking flatterer; obsequious

In a Bible devotional I read, the author referred to Judas Iscariot as a sycophant.

Word Nerd Note: sycophantic is a synonym from another Wondrous Words Wednesday entry of mine: obsequious.

Word Nerd Workout

Think of a sycophantic character from books or movies.  Grima Wormtongue from The Two Towers is an excellent example.  Share your ideas in the comments.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Julia

 

Julia Tomiak
I believe in the power of words to improve our lives, and I help people find interesting words to read. Member of SCBWI.

8 Comments

  1. I don’t like sycophants at all. Honesty is the best policy in my view. But in the days of the Tudors, for example, I guess you had to be sycophantic or risk having your head chopped off.

  2. I knew this one, but it’s a great word! I don’t get much occasion to use it, though. As for the Bartimaeus Trilogy, I really enjoyed those books. Until the end. I’ll say no more.

  3. I’ve often come across the word sycophant, but I can never remember what it means. While I can’t think of a character right now, I do know that those who are sycophantic are usually not ones who I like, and they often can’t be trusted.

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