In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
THIRL
Etymology 1
Noun
thirl (plural thirls)
(archaic or dialectal) A hole, aperture, especially a nostril.
(dialectal) A low door in a dry-stone wall to allow sheep to pass through; a smoot.
Etymology 2
Verb
thirl (third-person singular simple present thirls, present participle thirling, simple past and past participle thirled)
To pierce, perforate, penetrate.
(obsolete) To drill or bore.
Etymology 3
Verb
thirl (third-person singular simple present thirls, present participle thirling, simple past and past participle thirled)
(obsolete) To throw (a projectile).
Etymology 4
Verb
thirl (third-person singular simple present thirls, present participle thirling, simple past and past participle thirled)
(historical, transitive) To legally bind (a tenant) to the use of one's own property as an owner.
Noun
thirl (plural thirls)
(historical) A thrall.
Source: Wiktionary
Thirl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Thirled; p. pr. & vb. n. Thirling.] Etym: [See Thrill.]
Definition: To bore; to drill or thrill. See Thrill. [Obs. or Prov.] That with a spear was thirled his breast bone. Chaucer.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
25 March 2025
IMMOBILIZATION
(noun) fixation (as by a plaster cast) of a body part in order to promote proper healing; “immobilization of the injured knee was necessary”
Coffee Trivia
