Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
ABACK
aback
(adverb) by surprise; “taken aback by the caustic remarks”
aback
(adverb) having the wind against the forward side of the sails; “the ship came up into the wind with all yards aback”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Adverb
aback (not comparable)
(archaic) Towards the back or rear; backwards. [First attested prior to 1150.]
(archaic) In the rear; a distance behind. [First attested prior to 1150.]
By surprise; startled; dumbfounded. (see usage)
(nautical) Backward against the mast; said of the sails when pressed by the wind from the "wrong" (forward) side, or of a ship when its sails are set that way. [First attested in the late 17th century.]
Usage notes
• (by surprise): Preceded by a form of the word take, see take aback.
Etymology 2
Noun
aback (plural abacks)
(obsolete) An abacus.
Source: Wiktionary
A*back", adv. Etym: [Pref. a- + back; AS. on bæc at, on, or toward the back. See Back.]
1. Toward the back or rear; backward. "Therewith aback she started." Chaucer.
2. Behind; in the rear. Knolles.
3. (Naut.)
Definition: Backward against the mast;-said of the sails when pressed by the wind. Totten. To be taken aback. (a) To be driven backward against the mast; -- said of the sails, also of the ship when the sails are thus driven. (b) To be suddenly checked, baffled, or discomfited. Dickens.
Ab"ack, n.
Definition: An abacus. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
27 May 2025
DIRECTIONALITY
(noun) the property of being directional or maintaining a direction; “the directionality of written English is from left to right”
Coffee Trivia
