Starbucks has an unusual way of labelling the different sizes of drinks it offers. Unlike other brands, it doesn't call them small, medium, and large. Why?

Small Starbucks cup next to a bigger cup - Ttatty/Getty Images Demitasse is a French word that means "half-cup," and is the origin for the word demi used in the context of coffee drinks.

But while Starbucks' unique mermaid logo has been with the company since it opened in 1971, its equally iconic cup sizes came a few years later. Starbucks didn't sell brewed coffee until the 1980s ...