Luke 3:14

The term sycophant comes from Ancient Greek συκοφάντης (sykophántēs), meaning 'fig revealer' (σῦκον 'fig' + φαίνω 'to reveal'). In Classical Athens, it originally referred to informers—basically the ancient equivalent of that one coworker who tattles to the boss for brownie points. The Brown Noser, the Boot Licker, the Yes-Man.

Over time, the word evolved to mean a shameless flatterer, the kind of person who would tell a king his terrible haircut looks ‘divinely inspired’ or insist that their boss's dullest ideas are ‘absolute genius.’ In short, sycophants have been annoying humanity for over two millennia.

A "fig revealer" (συκοφάντης in Ancient Greek) was originally an informer or accuser, particularly someone who reported illegal fig smuggling or violations of laws related to the sacred fig trees in Athens.

The exact origin is debated, but here are the main theories:

1. Fig Smuggling Theory – Some scholars believe it referred to people who reported those illicitly exporting figs from Athens, where they were a valued resource. Basically, ancient customs officers but way more insufferable.

2. Sacred Fig Trees Theory – Another idea is that it referred to informers who snitched on people for illegally harvesting figs from sacred groves dedicated to the gods.

3. Obscene Gesture Theory – A more colorful theory suggests it relates to the Greek gesture of sticking the thumb between two fingers (symbolizing a fig), which was considered vulgar. So, a sykophantēs might have been someone who "revealed figs" in a metaphorical sense—accusing others while being an annoying busybody.

Over time, the term lost its fig-related meaning and came to describe shameless flatterers and bootlickers—those people who go around "revealing" things no one asked for, all in the hopes of winning favor with the powerful.