# smarm

> English word · Noun · IPA /smɑːm/

## Definitions
1. Smarmy language or behavior.
2. A style of fan fiction in which characters are warm and caring toward each other but without sexual overtones.

## Etymology
The noun is attested since 1914, from the colloquial verb smalm, smarm (“to smear, bedaub (hair, with pomade)”), attested since 1847, of unknown origin, perhaps somehow suggestive of the action. Verbal meaning "to smear with flattery" is from 1902.

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