In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
ASTROLABE
astrolabe
(noun) an early form of sextant
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
astrolabe (plural astrolabes)
An astronomical and navigational instrument for gauging the altitude of the Sun and stars.
Anagrams
• roastable
Source: Wiktionary
As"tro*labe, n. Etym: [OE. astrolabie, astrilabe, OF. astrelabe, F. astrolabe, LL. astrolabium, fr. Gr.
1. (Astron.)
Definition: An instrument for observing or showing the positions of the stars. It is now disused.
Note: Among the ancients, it was essentially the armillary sphere. A graduated circle with sights, for taking altitudes at sea, was called an astrolabe in the 18th century. It is now superseded by the quadrant and sextant.
2. A stereographic projection of the sphere on the plane of a great circle, as the equator, or a meridian; a planisphere. Whewell.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
1 June 2025
BACKFIRE
(verb) come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect; “Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble”; “the political movie backlashed on the Democrats”
Coffee Trivia
