The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
ALOOF
aloof, distant, upstage
(adjective) remote in manner; “stood apart with aloof dignity”; “a distant smile”; “he was upstage with strangers”
aloof
(adverb) in an aloof manner; “the local gentry and professional classes had held aloof for the school had accepted their sons readily enough”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adverb
aloof (comparative more aloof, superlative most aloof)
At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away.
Without sympathy; unfavorably.
Adjective
aloof (comparative more aloof, superlative most aloof)
Reserved and remote; either physically or emotionally distant; standoffish.
Preposition
aloof
(obsolete) Away from; clear of.
Anagrams
• loofa
Source: Wiktionary
A*loof", n. (Zoöl.)
Definition: Same as Alewife.
A*loof", adv. Etym: [Pref. a- + loof, fr. D. loef luff, and so meaning, as a nautical word, to the windward. See Loof, Luff.]
1. At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away. Our palace stood aloof from streets. Dryden.
2. Without sympathy; unfavorably. To make the Bible as from the hand of God, and then to look at it aloof and with caution, is the worst of all impieties. I. Taylor.
A*loof", prep.
Definition: Away from; clear from. [Obs.] Rivetus . . . would fain work himself aloof these rocks and quicksands. Milton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
2 April 2025
COVERT
(adjective) secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; “covert actions by the CIA”; “covert funding for the rebels”
Coffee Trivia
