There he lays out a few potential etymologies for flatter, one of which is a Latin root meaning to "make big" as flattery would do to one's ego.

他在书中列出几个可能的词源，其中一个拉丁词源意指“使增大”，正如奉承(flattery)使人的自尊心膨胀。

youdao

This approach is based on a root with a prefix or suffix, so as to constitute a new term, and with the root meaning is closely related to, such words would be known as derivatives.

这种方法就是在一个词根的基础上加上一个前缀或后缀，从而构成另一个新词，并且与该词根的含义有着密切的联系，此类词便称为派生词。

youdao

This approach is based on a root with a prefix or suffix, so as to constitute a new term, and with the root meaning is closely related to, such words would be known as derivatives.

这种方法就是在一个词根的基础上加上一个前缀或后缀，从而构成另一个新词，并且与该词根的含义有着密切的联系，此类词便称为派生词。

youdao