In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
CARESSES
Noun
caresses
plural of caress
Verb
caresses
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of caress
Source: Wiktionary
CARESS
Ca*ress", n. Etym: [F. caresse, It. carezza, LL. caritia dearness, fr. L. carus dear. See Charity.]
Definition: An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. Wooed her with his soft caresses. Langfellow. He exerted himself to win by indulgence and caresses the hearts of all who were under his command. Macaulay.
Ca*ress", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Caressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Caressing.] Etym: [F. caresser, fr. It. carezzare, fr. carezza caress. See Caress., n.]
Definition: To treat with tokens of fondness, affection, or kindness; to touch or speak to in a loving or endearing manner; to fondle. The lady caresses the rough bloodhoun. Sir W. Scott.
Syn.
– To foundle; embrace; pet; coddle; court; flatter.
– Caress, Fondle. "We caress by words or actions; we fondle by actions only." Crabb.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
19 April 2025
CATCH
(verb) grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; “did you catch that allusion?”; “We caught something of his theory in the lecture”; “don’t catch your meaning”; “did you get it?”; “She didn’t get the joke”; “I just don’t get him”
Coffee Trivia