flatter

Meanings

Adjective

• Comparative form or more of flat

Verb

• To compliment someone, often insincerely and sometimes to win favour.
• To enhance someone's vanity by praising them.
• To portray someone to advantage.
• To encourage or cheer someone with (usually false) hope.

Noun

• A type of set tool used by blacksmiths.
• A flat-faced fulling hammer.
• A drawplate with a narrow, rectangular orifice, for drawing flat strips such as watch springs.
• Someone who flattens, purposely or accidently. Also flattener.
• Someone who lives in a rented flat.

Origin

• From flat + -er. Compare Icelandic flatari.
• *From Middle English flatteren, flateren, probably a conflation of Old English floterian, flotorian, from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną ("to be floating"), from Proto-Indo-European *plewd- ("to flow, swim"); and Old Norse flaðra ("to fawn on someone, flatter"), from Proto-Germanic *flaþrōną ("to fawn over, flutter"), from Proto-Indo-European *peled- ("moisture, wetness"), *pel-. Cognate with Scots flatter, flotter, Middle Dutch flatteren ("to embellish, flatter, caress"), German flattern ("to flutter").
• *The word was also associated with Middle French flatter ("to flatter, to caress with the flat of the hand"), from Old French flater ("to deceive by concealing the truth, to stroke with the palm of the hand"), from Frankish *flat, from Proto-Germanic *flatą, *flatō, *flataz, from Proto-Indo-European *plÁt-, *pele-, *plāk-; related to Old High German flazza ("palm, flat of the hand"), Old High German flaz ("level, flat"), Old Saxon flat ("flat"), Old Norse flatr ("flat") (whence English flat), Old Frisian flet ("dwelling, house"), Old English flet, flett. More at flat.
• From flat + -er.
• From flat + -er.