In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
PERT
impertinent, irreverent, pert, saucy
(adjective) characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality; “a certain irreverent gaiety and ease of manner”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
pert (comparative perter, superlative pertest)
(of a person) Attractive.
(of a part of the body) Well-formed, shapely. [from 14th c.]
Lively; alert and cheerful; bright. [from 16th c.]
(now rare, especially of children or social inferiors) Cheeky, impertinent. [from 15th c.]
(obsolete) Open; evident; unhidden; apert. [14th-17th c.]
(obsolete) Clever.
Synonyms
• See also cheeky
Verb
pert (third-person singular simple present perts, present participle perting, simple past and past participle perted)
(intransitive, obsolete) To behave with pertness.
Noun
pert (plural perts)
(obsolete) An impudent person.
Anagrams
• -pter, pret., terp
Noun
PERT (uncountable)
(operations) Acronym of program evaluation and review technique.
Anagrams
• -pter, pret., terp
Source: Wiktionary
Pert, a. Etym: [An aphetic form of OE. & OF. apert open, known, true, free, or impudent. See Apert.]
1. Open; evident; apert. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
2. Lively; brisk; sprightly; smart. [Obs.] Shak.
3. Indecorously free, or presuming; saucy; bold; impertinent. "A very pert manner." Addison. The squirrel, flippant, pert, and full of play. Cowper.
Pert, v. i.
Definition: To behave with pertness. [Obs.] Gauden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
29 May 2025
CRITICAL
(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”
Coffee Trivia
