# lickspittle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈlɪkspɪtl/

## Definitions
1. A fawning toady; a base sycophant.
2. The practice of giving empty flattery for personal gain.

## Etymology
A compounding: lick (“pass one’s tongue over”) + spittle (“saliva”); the verb may derive by back-formation from the nominal derivation lickspittling (see below).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lickspittle