In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
CUIRASS
cuirass
(noun) medieval body armor that covers the chest and back
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
cuirass (plural cuirasses)
A piece of defensive armor, covering the body from the neck to the girdle.
The breastplate taken by itself.
Verb
cuirass (third-person singular simple present cuirasses, present participle cuirassing, simple past and past participle cuirassed)
(transitive) To cover with defensive armor; to armor-plate.
Source: Wiktionary
Cui*rass" (kw-rs`, or kw`rs; 277), n.; pl. Cuirasses(-. Etym: [ F.cuirasse, orig., a breascuir, cuirie influenced by It. corazza, or Sp. cora, fr. an assumed LL. coriacea, fr. L. coriacevs, adj., of leather, fr. corium leather, hide; akin to Gr. skora hide, Lith. skura hide, leather. Cf. Coriaceous.]
1. (a) A piece of defensive armor, covering the body from the neck to the girdle. (b) The breastplate taken by itself.
Note: The cuirass covered the body before and behind. It consisted of two parts, a breast- and backpiece of iron fastened together by means of straps and buckles or other like contrivances. It was originally, as the name imports, made of leather, but afterward of metal. Crose.
2. (Zoöl)
Definition: An armor of bony plates, somewhat resembling a cuirass.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
22 April 2025
BRIGHT
(adjective) made smooth and bright by or as if by rubbing; reflecting a sheen or glow; “bright silver candlesticks”; “a burnished brass knocker”; “she brushed her hair until it fell in lustrous auburn waves”; “rows of shining glasses”; “shiny black patents”
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