Barmecide

[ bahr-muh-sahyd ]

/ ˈbɑr məˌsaɪd /

noun

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

Barmecidal.

Origin of Barmecide

< Persian Barmekī family name, literally, offspring of Barmek, with -ide -id¹ for Persian -ī < Arabic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barmecide

Schacabac went in, and passed through many beautiful rooms, looking for the Barmecide.
Fifty Famous Stories Retold|James Baldwin
It knows too well how people stuff one with fine words, and will not let itself be satisfied with this Barmecide dish.
The Ego and His Own|Max Stirner
Everything tastes so desiccated and deodorized, the mere shadow of really substantial viands, a veritable feast of Barmecide.
In Jeopardy|Van Tassel Sutphen
And so Schacabac lived with the Barmecide many years, and never again knew what it was to be hungry.
Fifty Famous Stories Retold|James Baldwin

The Barmecide spoke of sweet-meats and fruits; and Schacabac made believe that he was eating them.
Fifty Famous Stories Retold|James Baldwin

British Dictionary definitions for barmecide

Barmecide

Barmecidal

/ (ˈbɑːmɪˌsaɪd) /

adjective

lavish or plentiful in imagination only; illusory; shama Barmecide feast

Word Origin for Barmecide

C18: from the name of a prince in The Arabian Nights who served empty plates to beggars, alleging that they held sumptuous food

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012