Barmecide

[ bahr-muh-sahyd ]

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.

adjective

1. Barmecidal.

Barmecide

/ ˈbɑːmɪˌsaɪd /

adjective

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

   a Barmecide feast

Word History and Origins

Origin of Barmecide¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Barmecide¹

C18: from the name of a prince in The Arabian Nights who served empty plates to beggars, alleging that they held sumptuous food

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

A sort of Barmecide feast, but I assure you it is very nice with bread or crackers and butter.

From Project Gutenberg