The phrase "reading is mendicant and sycophantic" suggests that reading can be seen as begging (mendicant) for knowledge or approval, and using flattery (sycophantic) to gain favor. It may imply that seeking knowledge solely for personal gain or to impress others can be insincere or self-serving.
mendicant
The mendicant was begging at his doorstep yesterday, or the mendicant was praying in church.
The word mendicant is a noun. A mendicant is someone who lives by begging.
Romantic, sycophantic
a person who associates with another person or a group in a sycophantic manner or for the purpose of gaining some personal advantage
Mendicant refers to a person who lives by begging for money or food. A sample sentence is: "The mendicant outside the church fell asleep".
The mendicant always asks for money at that particular store.
Each led the life of a simple mendicant, preaching that individuals should seek their own salvations.
James Lipton
The word "mendicant" belongs to the word family of "mendicancy." The root word "mendicant" is a noun referring to a beggar or someone who relies on charity. The adjective form is "mendicant," describing someone who begs or depends on alms. The related verb is "mendicate," which means to beg or solicit charity.
In French, a Mendicant, sometimes Mendiant, is the popular word for a (Bum) a vagrant type of man. Is sometimes applied to a tramp steamer as un Vaisseau Mendicant- which could also, etymologically, be a repair ship or salvage vessel, but is not.
the process of earth and its sycophantic layers. i recommend it for a homework paper