suppliant

[ suhp-lee-uhnt ]

noun

1. a person who supplicates; petitioner.

adjective

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

suppliant

/ ˈsʌplɪənt /

adjective

1. expressing entreaty or supplication

noun

1. another word for supplicant

Derived Forms

• ˈsuppliantly, adverb
• ˈsuppliance, noun

Other Words From

• suppli·ant·ly adverb
• suppli·ant·ness noun
• un·suppli·ant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of suppliant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of suppliant¹

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

Example Sentences

And when at last I opened my eyes the silence which had enfolded me had given place to a pervasive murmur, the sound from the suppliant lips and beseeching throats of the multitude.

From Literature

“Your mission will be hard this year,” wrote Anne-Marie, another adult suppliant.

From Washington Times

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 Literature

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

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

From New York Times