Barmecide

American  

[bahr-muh-sahyd] / ˈbɑr məˌsaɪd /

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.

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adjective

1. Barmecidal.

Barmecide British  

/ ˈbɑːmɪˌsaɪd /

adjective

1. lavish or plentiful in imagination only; illusory; sham

   a Barmecide feast

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Etymology

Origin of Barmecide

< Persian Barmekī family name, literally, offspring of Barmek, with -ide -id ¹ for Persian -ī < Arabic

Example Sentences

The latter piece, titled “The Barmecide Feast,” is well built — down to the corny Late Empire porcelains employed as backdrop on the luminous white set.

From Los Angeles Times

But one of them is always nailed; there is no escaping the Barmecide.

From Project Gutenberg

Everything tastes so desiccated and deodorized, the mere shadow of really substantial viands, a veritable feast of Barmecide.

From Project Gutenberg

The appetite of the reader should not be tempted by dishes, which become a mere Barmecide's feast, in this manner.

From Project Gutenberg

The giver of this Barmecide feast saw his dangerous position, and looked around for Dumphy, but he had disappeared.

From Project Gutenberg