In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
CONCEIT
conceit, conceitedness, vanity
(noun) the trait of being unduly vain and conceited; false pride
conceit
(noun) an artistic device or effect; “the architect’s brilliant conceit was to build the house around the tree”
conceit
(noun) a witty or ingenious turn of phrase; “he could always come up with some inspired off-the-wall conceit”
conceit
(noun) an elaborate poetic image or a far-fetched comparison of very dissimilar things
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
conceit (countable and uncountable, plural conceits)
(obsolete) Something conceived in the mind; an idea, a thought. [14th–18th c.]
The faculty of conceiving ideas; mental faculty; apprehension.
Quickness of apprehension; active imagination; lively fancy.
(obsolete) Opinion, (neutral) judgment. [14th–18th c.]
(now rare, dialectal) Esteem, favourable opinion. [from 15th c.]
(countable) A novel or fanciful idea; a whim. [from 16th c.]
(countable, rhetoric, literature) An ingenious expression or metaphorical idea, especially in extended form or used as a literary or rhetorical device. [from 16th c.]
(uncountable) Overly high self-esteem; vain pride; hubris. [from 17th c.]
Design; pattern.
Verb
conceit (third-person singular simple present conceits, present participle conceiting, simple past and past participle conceited)
(obsolete) To form an idea; to think.
(obsolete, transitive) To conceive.
Source: Wiktionary
Con*ceit", n. Etym: [Through French, fr. L. conceptus a conceiving, conception, fr. concipere to conceive: cf. OF. p. p. nom. conciez conceived. See Conceive, and cf. Concept, Deceit.]
1. That which is conceived, imagined, or formed in the mind; idea; thought; image; conception. In laughing, there ever procedeth a conceit of somewhat ridiculous. Bacon. A man wise in his own conceit. Prov. xxvi. 12.
2. Faculty of conceiving ideas; mental faculty; apprehension; as, a man of quick conceit. [Obs.] How often, alas! did her eyes say unto me that they loved! and yet I, not looking for such a matter, had not my conceit open to understand them. Sir P. Sidney.
3. Quickness of apprehension; active imagination; lively fancy. His wit's as thick as Tewksbury mustard; there's more conceit in him than is in a mallet. Shak.
4. A fanciful, odd, or extravagant notion; a quant fancy; an unnatural or affected conception; a witty thought or turn of expression; a fanciful device; a whim; a quip. On his way to the gibbet, a freak took him in the head to go off with a conceit. L'Estrange. Some to conceit alone their works confine, And glittering thoughts struck out at every line. Pope. Tasso is full of conceits . . . which are not only below the dignity of heroic verse but contrary to its nature. Dryden.
5. An overweening idea of one's self; vanity. Plumed with conceit he calls aloud. Cotton.
6. Design; pattern. [Obs.] Shak. In conceit with, in accord with; agreeing or conforming.
– Out of conceit with, not having a favorable opinion of; not pleased with; as, a man is out of conceit with his dress.
– To put [one] out conceit with, to make one indifferent to a thing, or in a degree displeased with it.
Con*ceit", v. t.
Definition: To conceive; to imagine. [Archaic] The strong, by conceiting themselves weak, are therebly rendered as inactive . . . as if they really were so. South. One of two bad ways you must conceit me, Either a coward or a flatterer. Shak.
Con*ceit", v. i.
Definition: To form an idea; to think. [Obs.] Those whose . . . vulgar apprehensions conceit but low of matrimonial purposes. Milton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
25 September 2024
TRAINED
(adjective) shaped or conditioned or disciplined by training; often used as a combining form; “a trained mind”; “trained pigeons”; “well-trained servants”
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