In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
BRIBING
Verb
bribing
present participle of bribe
Noun
bribing (plural bribings)
Bribery.
Anagrams
• Gribbin, ribbing
Source: Wiktionary
BRIBE
Bribe, n. Etym: [F. bribe a lump of bread, scraps, leavings of meals (that are generally given to a beggar), LL. briba scrap of bread; cf. OF. briber, brifer, to eat gluttonously, to beg, and OHG. bilibi food.]
1. A gift begged; a present. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. A price, reward, gift, or favor bestowed or promised with a view to prevent the judgment or corrupt the conduct of a judge, witness, voter, or other person in a position of trust. Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe. Hobart.
3. That which seduces; seduction; allurement. Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these everAkenside.
Bribe, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bribed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bribing.]
1. To rob or steal. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To give or promise a reward or consideration to (a judge, juror, legislator, voter, or other person in a position of trust) with a view to prevent the judgment or corrupt the conduct; to induce or influence by a bribe; to give a bribe to. Neither is he worthy who bribes a man to vote against his conscience. F. W. Robertson.
3. To gain by a bribe; of induce as by a bribe.
Bribe, v. i.
1. To commit robbery or theft. [Obs.]
2. To give a bribe to a person; to pervert the judgment or corrupt the action of a person in a position of trust, by some gift or promise. An attempt to bribe, though unsuccessful, has been holden to be criminal, and the offender may be indicted. Bouvier. The bard may supplicate, but cannot bribe. Goldsmith.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
19 June 2025
ROOTS
(noun) the condition of belonging to a particular place or group by virtue of social or ethnic or cultural lineage; “his roots in Texas go back a long way”; “he went back to Sweden to search for his roots”; “his music has African roots”
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