'adulate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'adulatus,' where 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'ulatus' meant 'to fawn upon.'

'adulatus' transformed into the French word 'aduler,' and eventually became the modern English word 'adulate' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to fawn upon excessively,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.