In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
FRAZZLE
frazzle
(noun) a state of extreme exhaustion; “he was worn to a frazzle”
frazzle
(verb) exhaust physically or emotionally; “She was frazzled after the visit of her in-laws”
fray, frazzle
(verb) wear away by rubbing; “The friction frayed the sleeve”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
frazzle (third-person singular simple present frazzles, present participle frazzling, simple past and past participle frazzled)
(transitive) To fray or wear down, especially at the edges.
(transitive) To drain emotionally or physically.
Noun
frazzle (plural frazzles)
(informal) A burnt fragment; a cinder or crisp.
(informal) The condition or quality of being frazzled; a frayed end.
Source: Wiktionary
Fraz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Frazzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Frazzling.] [Cf. G. faseln, and E. fray.]
Definition: To fray; to wear or pull into tatters or tag ends; to tatter; - -used literally and figuratively. [Prov. Eng. & U. S.]
Her hair was of a reddish gray color, and its frazzled and tangled condition suggested that the woman had recently passed through a period of extreme excitement. J. C. Harris.
Fraz"zle, n.
Definition: The act or result of frazzling; the condition or quality of being frazzled; the tag end; a frayed-out end. [Prov. Eng. & U. S.]
My fingers are all scratched to frazzles. Kipling.
Gordon had sent word to Lee that he "had fought his corps to a frazzle." Nicolay & Hay (Life of Lincoln).
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
1 June 2025
BACKFIRE
(verb) come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect; “Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble”; “the political movie backlashed on the Democrats”
Coffee Trivia
