In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
maims
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of maim
• IAMMS, Mimas, Sammi, imams, miasm
Source: Wiktionary
Maim, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maimed;p. pr. & vb. n. Maiming.] Etym: [OE. maimen, OF. mahaignier, mehaignier, meshaignier, cf. It. magagnare, LL. mahemiare, mahennare; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Armor. mac'ha to mutilate, mac'ha to crowd, press; or cf. OHG. mang to lack, perh. akin to E. mangle to lacerate. Cf. Mayhem.]
1. To deprive of the use of a limb, so as to render a person on fighting less able either to defend himself or to annoy his adversary. By the ancient law of England he that maimed any man whereby he lost any part of his body, was sentenced to lose the like part. Blackstone.
2. To mutilate; to cripple; to injure; to disable; to impair. My late maimed limbs lack wonted might. Spenser. You maimed the jurisdiction of all bishops. Shak.
Syn.
– To mutilate; mangle; cripple.
Maim, n. [Written in law language maihem, and mayhem.] Etym: [OF. mehaing. See Maim, v.]
1. The privation of the use of a limb or member of the body, by which one is rendered less able to defend himself or to annoy his adversary.
2. The privation of any necessary part; a crippling; mutilation; injury; deprivation of something essential. See Mayhem. Surely there is more cause to fear lest the want there of be a maim than the use of it a blemish. Hooker. A noble author esteems it to be a maim in history that the acts of Parliament should not be recited. Hayward.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
27 May 2025
(noun) the property of being directional or maintaining a direction; “the directionality of written English is from left to right”
In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.