laquais
lackey, footman
noun lah-KEH Rare
Origin: French from Dutch 'laquei' (servant)
Also means
servile person
Usage Note
Laquais historically meant a uniformed male servant or footman. Today it is used figuratively and pejoratively to describe someone who acts in a servile or sycophantic way toward a powerful person. The word is invariable in plural: des laquais. The final 's' is always silent.
Examples
"Il se comportait comme un laquais devant son patron."
Natural Translation
He behaved like a lackey in front of his boss.
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