In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
cease
(noun) (‘cease’ is a noun only in the phrase ‘without cease’) end
end, stop, finish, terminate, cease
(verb) have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical; “the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed”; “Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other”; “My property ends by the bushes”; “The symphony ends in a pianissimo”
discontinue, stop, cease, give up, quit, lay off
(verb) put an end to a state or an activity; “Quit teasing your little brother”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
cease (third-person singular simple present ceases, present participle ceasing, simple past and past participle ceased)
(formal, intransitive) To stop.
(formal, transitive) To stop doing (something).
(obsolete, intransitive) To be wanting; to fail; to pass away.
• (to stop): discontinue, hold, terminate; See also end or stop
• (to stop doing): arrest; discontinue; See also desist
• (to be wanting): desert, lack
cease
(obsolete) Cessation; extinction (see without cease).
• escae
Source: Wiktionary
Cease, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ceased; p. pr. & vb. n. Ceasing.] Etym: [OE. cessen, cesen, F. cesser, fr. L. cessare, v. intemsive fr. cedere to withdraw. See Cede , and cf. Cessation.]
1. To come to an end; to stop; to leave off or give over; to desist; as, the noise ceased "To cease from strife." Prov. xx. 3.
2. To be wanting; to fail; to pass away. The poor shall never cease out of the land. Deut. xv. 11.
Syn.
– To intermit; desist; stop; abstain; quit; discontinue; refrain; leave off; pause; end.
Cease, v. t.
Definition: To put a stop to; to bring to an end. But he, her fears to cease Sent down the meek-eyed peace. Milton. Cease, then, this impious rage. Milton
Cease, n.
Definition: Extinction. [Obs.] Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
6 June 2025
(noun) wit having a sharp and caustic quality; “he commented with typical pungency”; “the bite of satire”
In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.