Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
BALLISTA
catapult, arbalest, arbalist, ballista, bricole, mangonel, onager, trebuchet, trebucket
(noun) an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
ballista (plural ballistas or ballistae or ballistæ)
An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.
Source: Wiktionary
Bal*lis"ta, n.; pl. Ballist. Etym: [L. ballista, balista, fr. Gr. to throw.]
Definition: An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
2 July 2025
RESTITUTION
(noun) getting something back again; “upon the restitution of the book to its rightful owner the child was given a tongue lashing”
Coffee Trivia
