suppliant

American  

[suhp-lee-uhnt] / ˈsʌp li ənt /

noun

1. a person who supplicates; petitioner.

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adjective

1. supplicating.

2. expressive of supplication, as words, actions, etc.

suppliant British  

/ ˈsʌplɪənt /

adjective

1. expressing entreaty or supplication

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noun

1. another word for supplicant

Other Word Forms

• suppliance noun
• suppliantly adverb
• suppliantness noun
• unsuppliant adjective

Etymology

Origin of suppliant

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French, present participle of supplier < Latin supplicāre to beseech, supplicate. See -ant

Explanation

A suppliant is someone who begs or prays for something, and to be suppliant is to humbly pray or ask for forgiveness. Puppy-dog eyes can help if you’re trying to look suppliant. Like the related word supplicant, suppliant has do with praying in a humble manner. A suppliant student in the principal's office is going to have better luck avoiding detention than a disrespectful one. Suppliant is not a word you hear much these days — it was more frequently used in the days when people had to beg for everyday things, including basic needs like food and water, from monarchs and others in positions of power or authority.

Example Sentences

A priest flocked by suppliant children entreats Oedipus, renowned for his mental prowess, to find the answer that will rescue the city.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2020

Shooting it frontally, Greene looked up at the timeworn face from the subordinate vantage point of a suppliant.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2019

Though his Evan is no carbon copy of his predecessors in the role, he shares many pathetic mannerisms with them: the twitchy picking at himself, the cul-de-sac speech patterns, the upturned, outstretched, suppliant right hand.

From New York Times • May 23, 2019

Between them, the sweepers have the entire junction both spotless and sealed; its virtually impossible to circumvent the men and their suppliant coin baskets.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2018

Hesiod, not much later than the Odyssey if at all, says of a man who does evil to the suppliant and the stranger, or who wrongs orphan children, “with that man Zeus is angry.”

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton