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.
PROPRIETY
propriety, properness, correctitude
(noun) correct or appropriate behavior
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
propriety (countable and uncountable, plural proprieties)
(obsolete) The particular character or essence of someone or something; individuality. [15th-20th c.]
(obsolete) A characteristic; an attribute. [15th-20th c.]
(now rare) A piece of land owned by someone; someone's property. [from 16th c.]
(obsolete) More generally, something owned by someone; a possession. [16th-19th c.]
The fact of possessing something; ownership. [from 16th c.]
(now rare) Correct language or pronunciation. [from 17th c.]
Suitability, fitness; the quality of being appropriate. [from 18th c.]
(often, in the plural) Correctness in behaviour and morals; good manners, seemliness. [from 19th c.]
Source: Wiktionary
Pro*pri"e*ty, n.; pl. Proprieties. Etym: [F. propriété, L. proprietas, fr. proprius one's own, proper. See Property, Proper.]
1. Individual right to hold property; ownership by personal title; property. [Obs.] "Onles this propriety be exiled." Robynson (More's Utopia). So are the proprieties of a wife to be disposed of by her lord, and yet all are for her provisions, it being a part of his need to refresh and supply hers. Jer. Taylor.
2. That which is proper or peculiar; an inherent property or quality; peculiarity. [Obs.] Bacon. We find no mention hereof in ancient zoögraphers, . . . who seldom forget proprieties of such a nature. Sir T. Browne.
3. The quality or state of being proper; suitableness to an acknowledged or correct standard or rule; consonance with established principles, rules, or customs; fitness; appropriateness; as, propriety of behavior, language, manners, etc. "The rule of propriety," Locke.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
11 June 2025
LIGHT
(adjective) having relatively few calories; “diet cola”; “light (or lite) beer”; “lite (or light) mayonnaise”; “a low-cal diet”
Coffee Trivia
