In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
HELPLESS
helpless
(adjective) unable to manage independently; “as helpless as a baby”
helpless, lost
(adjective) unable to function; without help
helpless, incapacitated
(adjective) lacking in or deprived of strength or power; “lying ill and helpless”; “helpless with laughter”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
helpless (comparative more helpless, superlative most helpless)
Unable to defend oneself.
Lacking help; powerless.
Unable to act without help; needing help; feeble.
Uncontrollable.
(obsolete) From which there is no possibility of being saved.
Source: Wiktionary
Help"less, a.
1. Destitute of help or strength; unable to help or defend one's self; needing help; feeble; weak; as, a helpless infant. How shall I then your helpless fame defend Pope.
2. Beyond help; irremediable. Some helpless disagreement or dislike, either of mind or body. Milton.
3. Bringing no help; unaiding. [Obs.] Yet since the gods have been Helpless foreseers of my plagues. Chapman.
4. Unsupplied; destitute; -- with of. [R.] Helpless of all that human wants require. Dryden.
– Help"less*ly, adv.
– Help"less*ness, n.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Coffee Trivia
