Obsequious

 WORD OF THE DAY

obsequious / adjective / ub-SEE-kwee-us

Definition
: marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

Examples
"The service here is as traditional as the decor, with the obsequious staff as cheery as they are attentive."
— Anooska Tucker-Evans, The Courier Mail (Australia), 4 Dec. 2021

He could wear an oxford shirt and necktie and speak the local language, in every sense, and never act obsequious or look as though he felt out of place.
— Tracy Kidder, New England Monthly, April 1990

Did You Know?
An obsequious person is more likely to be a follower than a leader. Use that fact to help you remember the meaning of obsequious.
All you need to do is bear in mind that the word comes from the Latin root sequi, meaning "to follow." (The other contributor is the prefix ob-, meaning "toward.")
Sequi is the source of a number of other English words, too, including consequence (a result that follows from an action), sequel (a novel, film, or TV show that follows and continues a story begun in another), and non sequitur (a conclusion that doesn't follow from what was said before).