verb/alaˈɡaɾ/
to make much of, to flatter, to entice; to praise, to make much of; to caress, to please, to gratify, to soothe, to appease, to cocker
Synonyms: adular, alabar, acariciar, agradar, calmar, aliviar
Inherited from Old Spanish falagar. Further propositions are many: in 1884 the Royal Spanish Academy said from Arabic حَلَاوَة (ḥalāwa, “pleasing, agreeable thing”); in 1899 from Latin flagitāre (“to solicit”); in 1956 from Arabic خَلَقَ (ḵalaqa, “to make, forge, lie, polish, perfume”), which Coromines and Pascual support while mentioning a related خَالَقَ (ḵālaqa, “to treat someone kindly”); in 2001 from Andalusian Arabic هَالَاق (ẖaláq, “thief pigeon”). Other possibilities: from Basque palagau