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A.Word.A.Day--soupcon

soupcon or soupçon (soop-SON, SOOP-son) noun

A very small amount.

[From French soupçon (suspicion), via Middle French, Late Latin, from Latin suspicere (to look from below, or suspect). Ultimately from Indo-European root spek- (to observe) which is also the ancestor of such words as suspect, spectrum, bishop (literally, overseer), espionage, despise, and telescope.]

"Couldn't Bob Levey and Jim Talens have a soupcon of sympathy for the Costco Dad? Where was he supposed to go to change that diaper?"
Bob Levey; Changing a Diaper on a Costco Conveyor Belt; The Washington Post; Feb 6, 2003.

"Remember that white ruffled blouse you bought last spring? Wear it under a pinstripe suit and you'll be right in step with the biggest womenswear trend of the season: the menswear look with a soupcon of femininity."
Pam Thomas; The Feel of Fall; The Providence Journal (Rhode Island); Oct 6, 2002.

See more usage examples of soupcon in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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