The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
ADVERSITY
adversity
(noun) a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event; “a period marked by adversities”
adversity, hardship, hard knocks
(noun) a state of misfortune or affliction; “debt-ridden farmers struggling with adversity”; “a life of hardship”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
adversity (usually uncountable, plural adversities)
(uncountable) The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
(countable) An event that is adverse; calamity.
Synonyms
• nakba
Source: Wiktionary
Ad*ver"si*ty, n.; pl. Adversities(#). Etym: [OE. adversite, F. adversité, fr. L. adversitas.]
1. Opposition; contrariety. [Obs.] Wyclif. Adversity is not without comforts and hopes. Bacon.
Syn.
– Affliction; distress; misery; disaster; trouble; suffering; trial.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
5 June 2025
UNDERLAY
(verb) raise or support (the level of printing) by inserting a piece of paper or cardboard under the type; “underlay the plate”
Coffee Trivia
