Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

barmecide

 - 3 dictionary results

Bar⋅me⋅cide

  [bahr-muh-sahyd]
Use barmecide in a Sentence
–noun
1. a member of a noble Persian family of Baghdad who, according to a tale in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, gave a beggar a pretended feast with empty dishes.
–adjective
2. Barmecidal.
Origin:
< Pers Barmekī family name, lit., offspring of Barmek, with -ide -id 1 for Pers -ī < Ar

Bar⋅me⋅cid⋅al

  [bahr-muh-sahyd-l]
–adjective
giving only the illusion of plenty; illusory: a Barmecidal banquet.
Also, Barmecide.

Origin:
1835–45; Barmecide + -al 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To barmecide
Bar·me·cid·al   (bär'mĭ-sīd'l)   
adj.  Plentiful or abundant in appearance only; illusory: a Barmecidal feast.

[After Barmecide, a nobleman in The Arabian Nights, who served an imaginary feast to a beggar.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see barmecide on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way