unctuous
unc·tuous
adjective
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
- “buttery praise”
- “gave him a fulsome introduction”
- “an oily sycophantic press agent”
- “oleaginous hypocrisy”
- “smarmy self-importance”
- “the unctuous Uriah Heep”
- “soapy compliments”
Origin
From Late Middle English unctuous [and other forms], borrowed from Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus (“greasy, oily, unctuous”), from Latin ūnctum (“ointment; rich banquet; rich savoury dish”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly’ forming adjectives from nouns). Ūnctum is a noun use of the perfect passive participle of unguō (“to anoint; to smear with oil, to grease or oil”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- (“to anoint; to smear”). Cognates * Italian untuoso * Old French onctües, unctueus, unctuose (modern French onctueux) * Portuguese unctuoso * Spanish untuoso
Related words
Word family
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.