gnathonic

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Latin Gnatho, name of a parasitical character in the Eunuchus of Terence, Ancient Greek γνάθων (gnáthōn) (probably from the genitive plural form of γνάθος (gnáthos, “jaw”)- the genitive singular, γνάθου (gnáthou, “jaw”), was used adjectivally with the the meaning "greedy"); hence, a parasite in general.

Adjective

gnathonic (comparative more gnathonic, superlative most gnathonic)

  1. (obsolete) flattering; deceitful
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Charles Kingsley to this entry?)

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for gnathonic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.