gnathonic

English

Alternative forms

• gnathonical

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin Gnathōnicus, from Gnathō (genitive Gnathōnis), name of a parasitical character in the Eunuchus of Terence. Gnathō is from Ancient Greek γνάθος (gnáthos, “jaw”), used in the genitive γνάθου (gnáthou, “of a jaw”) to mean “greedy”; hence, a parasite in general.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nəˈθɒnɪk/

Adjective

gnathonic (comparative more gnathonic, superlative most gnathonic)

1. (obsolete) Deceitful and flattering; toadying.
   • 1855, Charles Kingsley, “The True and Tragical History of Mr. John Oxenham of Plymouth”, in Westward Ho!: Or, The Voyages and Adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, […], volume I, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, page 295:

     That Jack's is somewhat of a gnathonic and parasitic soul, or stomach, all Bideford apple-women know: […]

Further reading

• “gnathonic”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.