peccadillo

May. 1st, 2012 02:02 pm
[identity profile] skittles22088.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] 1word1day
Hello, everyone!  I'm the new poster for Tuesdays.  This is the first time I've been a main poster for a group, so forgive me if I make a mistake this week.  Enjoy!

peccadillo, noun, a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault

Pronounced pe-ke-DIL-oh

The plural form is either peccadilloes or peccadillos.  Most sources say the first known use was 1585-1595, but the excerpt from the book below is from the much earlier year of 1405.

Etymology:
From the Spanish pecadillo, a diminutive of pecado "sin."  Pecado is in turn from the Latin peccatum "transgression."

Examples:
Sarah was willing to overlook her husband's peccadilloes.
Most people see speeding on the highway as only a peccadillo.

From The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan:
"But, just as I told you before, the fool sees his neighbor's peccadillo and fails to see his own enormous crime."
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