Sycophant - Shift in Meaning in Modern English

Shift in Meaning in Modern English

The word “sycophant” entered the English and French languages in the mid 16th Century, and originally had the same meaning in English and French (sycophante) as in Greek, a false accuser. In Greek and French it retains the original meaning. The meaning in English has changed over time, however, and came to mean an insincere flatterer. The common thread in the older and current meanings is that the sycophant is in both instances portrayed as a kind of parasite, speaking falsely and insincerely in the accusation or the flattery for gain. The Greek plays often combine in a single character the elements of the parasite and the sycophant, and the natural similarities of the two closely related types led to the shift in the meaning of the word. The sycophant in both meanings can also be viewed as two sides of the same coin: the same person currying one's favor by insincere flattery is also spreading false tales and accusations behind one's back. In Renaissance English, the word was used in both senses and meanings, that of the Greek informer, and the current sense of a “flattering parasite” with both being cast as enemies not only of those they wrong, but the person or state that they ostensibly serve.