In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
WALLFLOWER
wallflower
(noun) remains on sidelines at social event
wallflower, Cheiranthus cheiri, Erysimum cheiri
(noun) perennial of southern Europe having clusters of fragrant flowers of all colors especially yellow and orange; often naturalized on old walls or cliffs; sometimes placed in genus Erysimum
wallflower
(noun) any of numerous plants of the genus Erysimum having fragrant yellow or orange or brownish flowers
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
wallflower (plural wallflowers)
Any of several short-lived herbs or shrubs of the Erysimum genus with bright yellow to red flowers.
Gastrolobium grandiflorum, a poisonous bushy shrub, endemic to Australia.
(informal) A person who is socially awkward, especially one who does not dance at a party due to shyness.
Verb
wallflower (third-person singular simple present wallflowers, present participle wallflowering, simple past and past participle wallflowered)
(intransitive) To stand shyly apart from a dance, waiting to be asked to join in.
Source: Wiktionary
Wall"flow`er, n.
1. (Bot.)
Definition: A perennial, cruciferous plant (Cheiranthus Cheiri), with sweet-scented flowers varying in color from yellow to orange and deep red. In Europe it very common on old walls.
Note: The name is sometimes extended to other species of Cheiranthus and of the related genus Erysimum, especially the American Western wallflower (Erysimum asperum), a biennial herb with orange-yellow flowers.
2. A lady at a ball, who, either from choice, or because not asked to dance, remains a spectator. [Colloq.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
12 November 2024
PLANTAIN
(noun) any of numerous plants of the genus Plantago; mostly small roadside or dooryard weeds with elliptic leaves and small spikes of very small flowers; seeds of some used medicinally
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