Barmecidal

[ bahr-muh-sahyd-l ]

adjective

1. giving only the illusion of plenty; illusory:

   a Barmecidal banquet.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Barmecidal¹

First recorded in 1835–45; Barmecide + -al ¹

Example Sentences

This happened many times, and so her mother’s promise and her imp brought the poor penitent romancer Barmecidal good luck.

From Project Gutenberg

When the day's labors are over, and he sits in slippered ease 'by his own fireside,' what greater enjoyment can he have than to abandon himself in true Barmecidal fashion to the tempting dainties which the last page of the supplement to the Times offers to his keen appetite!

From Project Gutenberg

What would a dull-eyed glutton, famishing, not with hunger but with the cravings of digestive ferocity, find in Thackeray's "Memorials of Gormandizing" or "Barmecidal Feasts?"

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• false
• hallucinatory
• misleading
• unreal
• whimsical