Flatter
King James Dictionary [1]
Flat'Ter, n. The person or thing by which any thing is flattened.
Flat'Ter, Flatter may be from the root of flat, that is, to make smooth, to appease, to soothe. L. plaudo. Perhaps flat and plaudo are from one root, the radical sense of which must be to extend, strain, stretch.
1. To soothe by praise to gratify self-love by praise or obsequiousness to please a person by applause or favorable notice, by respectful attention, or by any thing that exalts him in his own estimation, or confirms his good opinion of himself. We flatter a woman when we praise her children.
A man that flattereth his neighbor, spreadeth a net for his feet. Proverbs 29 .
2. To please to gratify as, to flatter one's vanity or pride. 3. To praise falsely to encourage by favorable notice as, to flatter vices or crimes. 4. To encourage by favorable representations or indications as, to flatter hopes. We are flattered with the prospect of peace. 5. To raise false hopes by representations not well founded as, to flatter one with a prospect of success to flatter a patient with the expectation of recovery when his case is desperate. 6. To please to soothe.
A concert of voices - makes a harmony that flatters the ears.
7. To wheedle to coax to attempt to win by blandishments, praise or enticements. How many young and credulous persons are flattered out of their innocence and their property, by seducing arts!
Webster's Dictionary [2]
(1): ( n.) A drawplate with a narrow, rectangular orifice, for drawing flat strips, as watch springs, etc.
(2): ( v. i.) To use flattery or insincere praise.
(3): ( v. t.) To portray too favorably; to give a too favorable idea of; as, his portrait flatters him.
(4): ( v. t.) To raise hopes in; to encourage or favorable, but sometimes unfounded or deceitful, representations.
(5): ( v. t.) To treat with praise or blandishments; to gratify or attempt to gratify the self-love or vanity of, esp. by artful and interested commendation or attentions; to blandish; to cajole; to wheedle.
(6): ( n.) A flat-faced fulling hammer.
(7): ( n.) One who, or that which, makes flat or flattens.
