Coffee has initially been a food – chewed, not sipped. Early African tribes consume coffee by grinding the berries together, adding some animal fat, and rolling the treats into tiny edible energy balls.
ABJECT
abject
(adjective) showing humiliation or submissiveness; “an abject apology”
abject, low, low-down, miserable, scummy, scurvy
(adjective) of the most contemptible kind; “abject cowardice”; “a low stunt to pull”; “a low-down sneak”; “his miserable treatment of his family”; “You miserable skunk!”; “a scummy rabble”; “a scurvy trick”
abject
(adjective) most unfortunate or miserable; “the most abject slaves joined in the revolt”; “abject poverty”
abject, unhopeful
(adjective) showing utter resignation or hopelessness; “abject surrender”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Adjective
abject (comparative abjecter or more abject, superlative abjectest or most abject)
Sunk to or existing in a low condition, state, or position. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
Cast down in spirit or hope; degraded; servile; grovelling; despicable; lacking courage; offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
Showing utter hopelessness, helplessness; showing resignation; wretched. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
(obsolete) Rejected; cast aside. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the early 17th century.]
Usage notes
• Nouns to which "abject" is often applied: poverty, fear, terror, submission, misery, failure, state, condition, apology, humility, servitude, manner, coward.
Synonyms
• beggarly, contemptible, cringing, degraded, groveling, ignoble, mean, mean-spirited, slavish, vile, worthless
Noun
abject (plural abjects)
A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway; outcast. [from late 15h c.]
Etymology 2
Verb
abject (third-person singular simple present abjects, present participle abjecting, simple past and past participle abjected)
(transitive, obsolete) To cast off or out; to reject. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 17th century.]
(transitive, obsolete) To cast down; hence, to abase; to degrade; to lower; to debase. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 17th century.]
Source: Wiktionary
Ab"ject, a. Etym: [L. abjectus, p. p. of abjicere to throw away; ab + jacere to throw. See Jet a shooting forth.]
1. Cast down; low-lying. [Obs.] From the safe shore their floating carcasses And broken chariot wheels; so thick bestrown Abject and lost lay these, covering the flood. Milton.
2. Sunk to a law condition; down in spirit or hope; degraded; servile; groveling; despicable; as, abject posture, fortune, thoughts. "Base and abject flatterers." Addison. "An abject liar." Macaulay. And banish hence these abject, lowly dreams. Shak.
Syn.
– Mean; groveling; cringing; mean-spirited; slavish; ignoble; worthless; vile; beggarly; contemptible; degraded.
Ab*ject", v. t. Etym: [From Abject, a.]
Definition: To cast off or down; hence, to abase; to degrade; to lower; to debase. [Obs.] Donne.
Ab"ject, n.
Definition: A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway. [Obs.] Shall these abjects, these victims, these outcasts, know any thing of pleasure I. Taylor.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
27 April 2024
GREAT
(adjective) remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect; “a great crisis”; “had a great stake in the outcome”
Coffee Trivia
