I came across this “Word of the Day” some time ago. The first definition that comes to mind when I hear the word is “a young deer.” This is probably because I rejoice when I see a little fawn with its mother in our meadow. I’ll get back to that in a minute.
But “fawn” can mean a lot of different things.
• To court favor by a cringing or flattering manner
• To show affection
• A young deer
• A light grayish brown
It seems weird, I think, that this word can have such different meanings in different categories.
One reason, it seems, is the etymology of the word. “Fawn” originally comes from the Old English adjective fægen or fagan, meaning “glad,” by way of Old English fagnian, meaning “to rejoice.” Yay! Let us rejoice in that.
But here is the twist. That noun version of “fawn” that refers to a young deer? For that, we can thank the Latin noun fetus, which means “offspring.”
I looked up some synonyms for “fawn,” which means to “court by flattering manner.”
apple-polish
bootlick
fuss
kowtow
suck (up)
toady
truckle
Like those waiters who fawn all over a celebrity.
Or some office worker sucking up to their boss.
Or when someone truckles up to a powerful politician.
And on.
I don’t like to watch when someone is fawning over someone else. It seems ingenuine. Fake. Forced.
Conversely, I’d like to get back to the fawn in the meadow.
I saw this “Word of the Day” on the day after I had a conversation with someone about the deer population at our house. I commented on the fact that we did not have one single fawn this year. No pregnant mama deer. Not one. Typically, we will see four or five fawns during the birthing season.
Instead, we’ve had a heavy male population this year and I wonder why.
For years, and I mean dozens of years, we’ve watched the same “pack” of female deers at our feeders. The leader was Tilly. She was definitely the matriarch of the group. We watched her age, age, age. And then, a couple of years ago, she was gone. I wonder if her death caused this shift. The group would sometimes contain as many as 12 or 13 deer.
So my word for the day is “fawn.”
Because it taught me, once again, that everything changes. We may not like or appreciate the change. But it happens despite our wishes. I miss seeing those girls and their babies. I truly do.
I am told that everything that happens does so to teach us.
I guess my lesson may be to find appreciation in the beautiful stags that come to our feeders now. They are beautiful in a different way.
We had to add a third feeder. We needed one without a cover or roof because the male’s “racks” would get caught on the covers. And that makes them happy.
I suppose we fawned over them, just a bit.
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“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” — Henry Ford
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“Life is a series of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” — Helen Keller
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“Sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are the ones your soul needs most.” — Bruce Hammond
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Fawn. More than one way.
