In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
aeolipiles
plural of aeolipile
Source: Wiktionary
Æ*ol"i*pile, Æ*ol"i*pyle, n. Etym: [L. aeolipilae; Aeolus god of the winds + pila a ball, or Gr. i. e., doorway of Æolus); cf. F. éolipyle.]
Definition: An apparatus consisting chiefly of a closed vessel (as a globe or cylinder) with one or more projecting bent tubes, through which steam is made to pass from the vessel, causing it to revolve. [Written also eolipile.]
Note: Such an apparatus was first described by Hero of Alexandria about 200 years b. c. It has often been called the first steam engine.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
26 November 2024
(noun) (music) playing in a different key from the key intended; moving the pitch of a piece of music upwards or downwards
In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.