fawn Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a color or pigment varying around a light grey-brown color
    greyish brown; dun; grayish brown.
    • she wore dun
  2. noun a young deer
  3. verb show submission or fear
    crawl; grovel; cower; cringe; creep.
  4. verb try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
    kowtow; kotow; bootlick; toady; suck up; truckle.
    • He is always kowtowing to his boss
  5. verb have fawns
    • deer fawn

WordNet

Fawn noun
Etymology
OF. faon the young one of any beast, a fawn, F. faon a fawn, for fedon, fr. L. fetus. See Fetus.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A young deer; a buck or doe of the first year. See Buck.
  2. The young of an animal; a whelp. Obs.
    [The tigress] . . . followeth . . . after her fawns. Holland.
  3. A fawn color.
Fawn adjective
Definitions
  1. Of the color of a fawn; fawn-colored.
Fawn intransitive verb
Etymology
Cf. F. faonner.
Definitions
  1. To bring forth a fawn.
Fawn intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. fawnen, fainen, fagnien, to rejoice, welcome, flatter, AS. fægnian to rejoice; akin to Icel. fagna to rejoice, welcome. See Fain.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Fawned ; present participle & verbal noun Fawning
Definitions
  1. To court favor by low cringing, frisking, etc., as a dog; to flatter meanly; -- often followed by on or upon.
    You showed your teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds. Shak.
    Thou with trembling fear, Or like a fawning parasite, obeyest. Milton.
    Courtiers who fawn on a master while they betray him. Macaulay.
Fawn noun
Definitions
  1. A servile cringe or bow; mean flattery; sycophancy. Shak.

Webster 1913