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suppliant

[ suhp-lee-uh nt ]
/ ˈsʌp li ənt /
|

noun

a person who supplicates; petitioner.

adjective

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

RELATED WORDS

seeker, suitor, petitioner, beggar, solicitor

Nearby words

  1. suppletive,
  2. suppletory,
  3. supplex,
  4. suppliance,
  5. suppliancy,
  6. suppliantly,
  7. suppliants, the,
  8. supplicant,
  9. supplicate,
  10. supplication

Origin of suppliant

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French, present participle of supplier < Latin supplicāre to beseech, supplicate. See -ant
Related formssup·pli·ant·ly, adverbsup·pli·ant·ness, nounun·sup·pli·ant, adjective
Can be confusedsupplant supplicant suppliant

Definition for suppliants (2 of 2)

Suppliants, The

noun

a tragedy (c463 b.c.) by Aeschylus.
a tragedy (c420 b.c.) by Euripides.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for suppliants

British Dictionary definitions for suppliants

suppliant

/ (ˈsʌplɪənt) /

adjective

expressing entreaty or supplication

noun, adjective

another word for supplicant
Derived Formssuppliantly, adverbsuppliance, noun

Word Origin for suppliant

C15: from French supplier to beseech, from Latin supplicāre to kneel in entreaty; see supple
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

Word Origin and History for suppliants

suppliant

n.

early 15c., "humble petitioner," from Middle French suppliant, originally present participle of supplier "to plead humbly, entreat, beg, pray," from Latin supplicare "beg, beseech" (see supplication).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper