Obsequiate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To serve or to act in a servile or submissive manner, often characterized by excessive flattery or compliance
2. To demonstrate fawning attentiveness or ingratiation towards someone in a position of power or authority
3. To engage in sycophantic or demeaning behavior, typically to curry favor or gain approval from others

Etymology: "Obsequiate" is a verb meaning to fawn over someone, and it is built from "obsequious" with the verb ending "-ate". The root is the Latin "obsequi", "to comply with, to indulge, to humour", formed from "ob-" ("toward") and "sequi" ("to follow"). So at its core the idea is one of following someone's wishes closely, which is where the modern sense of servile deference comes from. The adjective "obsequious" arrived in English earlier than the verb, and it is the base from which "obsequiate" was formed. The verb ending "-ate" was attached to the adjective's stem to turn it into an action, so that to obsequiate is to act in an obsequious manner. It is a plain, transparent formation rather than a borrowing, and it remains rare, mostly found in formal or literary writing.

Synonyms: obey, comply, submit

Antonyms: defy, disobey, resist