In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
DESPITEFUL
despiteful, spiteful, vindictive
(adjective) showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite; “a despiteful fiend”; “a truly spiteful child”; “a vindictive man will look for occasions for resentment”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
despiteful (comparative more despiteful, superlative most despiteful)
Full of despite; expressing malice or contemptuous hate.
Source: Wiktionary
De*spite"ful, a. Etym: [See Despite, and cf. Spiteful.]
Definition: Full of despite; expressing malice or contemptuous hate; malicious.
– De*spite"ful*ly, adv.
– De*spite"ful*ness, n. Haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters. Rom. i. 30. Pray for them which despitefully use you. Matt. v. 44. Let us examine him with despitefulness and fortune. Book of Wisdom ii. 19.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
12 January 2025
HABIT
(noun) (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition; “owls have nocturnal habits”; “she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair”; “long use had hardened him to it”
Coffee Trivia
