Humanities
Word curio icon

Word Curio

February 20, 2019

Word of the Day: Obsequious

1 CQ

Word of the Day : February 20, 2019

obsequious \ub-SEE-kwee-us\ adjective

Definition

: marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

Did You Know?

An obsequious person is more likely to be a follower than a leader. Use that fact to help you remember the meaning of obsequious. All you need to do is bear in mind that the word comes from the Latin root sequi, meaning "to follow." (The other contributor is the prefix ob-, meaning "toward.") Sequi is the source of a number of other English words, too, including consequence (a result that follows from an action), sequel (a novel, film, or TV show that follows and continues a story begun in another), and non sequitur (a conclusion that doesn't follow from what was said before).

Aired February 20, 2019

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com

  • Recommended Recommended
  • History & In Progress History
  • Browse Library
  • Most Popular Library

Get Personalized Recommendations

Let us help you figure out what to learn! By taking a short interview you’ll be able to specify your learning interests and goals, so we can recommend the perfect courses and lessons to try next.

Start Interview

You don't have any lessons in your history.
Just find something that looks interesting and start learning!

Comments
500 characters max