Barmecide
[bahr-muh-sahyd]
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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
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
Historical Examples of barmecide
But a banquet in which the plates only are good is but a Barmecide feast, after all.
Is it possible the Regenerator is, after all, more tantalizing than the Barmecide?
The Gastronomic Regenerator:Alexis Soyer
My dear Barmecide friend, isn't it pleasant to be in such fine company?
The NewcomesWilliam Makepeace Thackeray
But one of them is always nailed; there is no escaping the Barmecide.
UnicornsJames Huneker
Accustomed to these regular Barmecide suggestions, Barker made no direct reply.
Selected StoriesBret Harte
Barmecide
Barmecidal
adjective
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
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