peccadillo

[pek-uh-dil-oh]

See more synonyms for peccadillo on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural pec·ca·dil·loes, pec·ca·dil·los.

a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault.

Origin of peccadillo

1585–95; < Spanish pecadillo, diminutive of pecado sin < Latin peccātum transgression, noun use of neuter of past participle of peccāre to err, offend

Synonyms for peccadillo

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lapse, slip, faux pas, indiscretion.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for peccadilloes

indiscretion, impropriety, misdemeanor, vice

Examples from the Web for peccadilloes

Contemporary Examples of peccadilloes

But the flaws and peccadilloes of Renaissance artists like Michelangelo pale beside the misdeeds of patrons and pontiffs.
Great Renaissance Art Thrived Amid Filth
Nick Romeo
December 3, 2014
Silvio Berlusconi is back in Italian headlines, but not for his peccadilloes or corruption trials.
Silvio Berlusconi, Comeback Kid? Italy’s Ex-P.M. Leverages Euro Crisis
Barbie Latza Nadeau
June 30, 2012
In 2001, Premiere Magazine published an extensive article documenting Schwarzenegger's peccadilloes.
Behind Arnold's Deception
Jacob Bernstein
May 18, 2011
Aaron Burr and Richard Cheney (Spiro Agnew's peccadilloes are miniscule in comparison), some two centuries apart.
A Tale of Two Vice Presidents
Lawrence Wilkerson
May 31, 2009

Historical Examples of peccadilloes

All little failings, peccadilloes, and asperities are strictly fined.
Dolly Reforming Herself
Henry Arthur Jones
At this point I recalled all the peccadilloes which most troubled my conscience.
Youth
Leo Tolstoy
But you cannot saddle him, in the flesh or out of it, with your peccadilloes.
The Firebrand
S. R. Crockett
I began to be sorry for this man, in spite of his peccadilloes.
Dolly Dialogues
Anthony Hope
My sins were all peccadilloes; I always respected my neighbor's property—my neighbor's wife.
The Europeans
Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for peccadilloes

peccadillo

noun plural -loes or -los

a petty sin or trifling fault

Word Origin for peccadillo

C16: from Spanish pecadillo, from pecado sin, from Latin peccātum, from peccāre to transgress

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for peccadilloes

peccadillo

"slight sin," 1590s (earlier in corrupt form peccadilian, 1520s), from Spanish pecadillo, diminutive of pecado "a sin," from Latin peccatum "a sin, fault, error," noun use of neuter past participle of peccare "to miss, mistake, make a mistake, do amiss; transgress, offend, be licentious, sin," perhaps literally "to stumble," from a PIE verbal root *ped- "to walk, stumble, fall," related to the root of foot (n.).