In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.
MISDEMEANOR
misdemeanor, misdemeanour, infraction, violation, infringement
(noun) a crime less serious than a felony
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
misdemeanor (plural misdemeanors) (American spelling)
(legal, US) A crime usually punishable upon conviction by a small fine or by a short term of imprisonment. In the USA, misdemeanants usually are incarcerated in county jail for less than one year, but felons usually are incarcerated in state or federal prison for more than one year. Crimes which are punishable by large fines or by longer imprisonment are sometimes called felonies.
Synonyms
• petty crime
Source: Wiktionary
Mis`de*mean"or, n.
1. Ill behavior; evil conduct; fault. Shak.
2. (Law)
Definition: A crime less than a felony. Wharton.
Note: As a rule, in the old English law, offenses capitally punishable were felonies; all other indictable offenses were misdemeanors. In common usage, the word crime is employed to denote the offenses of a deeper and more atrocious dye, while small faults and omissions of less consequence are comprised under the gentler name of misdemeanors. Blackstone. The distinction, however, between felonies and misdemeanors is purely arbitrary, and is in most jurisdictions either abrogated or so far reduced as to be without practical value. Cf. Felony. Wharton.
Syn.
– Misdeed; misconduct; misbehavior; fault; trespass; transgression.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
2 April 2025
COVERT
(adjective) secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; “covert actions by the CIA”; “covert funding for the rebels”
Coffee Trivia
