peccadillo

noun

pec·​ca·​dil·​lo ˌpe-kə-ˈdi-(ˌ)lō 

plural peccadilloes or peccadillos

: a slight offense

The movie star's peccadilloes made tabloid headlines.

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The Sinful History of Pecadillo

"The world loves a spice of wickedness." That observation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow may explain why people are so willing to forgive peccadilloes as youthful foolishness or lapses of judgment. The willingness to overlook petty faults and minor offenses existed long before English speakers borrowed a modified version of the Spanish pecadillo at the end of the 16th century. Spanish speakers distinguished the pecadillo, or "little sin," from the more serious pecado, their term for a sin of magnitude. And these Spanish terms can be traced back still further, to the Latin verb peccare, meaning "to sin."

Examples of peccadillo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet the Biden Justice Department remains indifferent, as if the issue were merely the personal peccadillos of the president’s ne’er-do-well son, Hunter. —Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 25 May 2023

His audiences know that family peccadilloes are a cornerstone of that material, which nestles this fictional exploration of similar subject matter firmly in his comfort zone. —Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 24 May 2023

But as the capital merry-go-round spun its peccadilloes, scandals and ballyhooed promises, his jaunty baritone restored order with bipartisan japes and irreverent songs to deflate the preening ego and the Big Idea. Presidents from Eisenhower to Trump caught the flak. —Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023

What if the new boss’ weird peccadilloes — Patoff abolishes work-from-home, abruptly fires a staffer whose smell displeases him and thinks nothing of making 3 a.m. phone calls and demands — escalate? —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Spanish pecadillo, diminutive of pecado sin, from Latin peccatum, from neuter of peccatus, past participle of peccare

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

peccadillo

noun

pec·​ca·​dil·​lo ˌpek-ə-ˈdil-ō 

plural peccadilloes or peccadillos

: a slight offense or fault