In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
BENUMB
numb, benumb, blunt, dull
(verb) make numb or insensitive; “The shock numbed her senses”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
benumb (third-person singular simple present benumbs, present participle benumbing, simple past and past participle benumbed)
(transitive) To make numb, as by cold or anesthetic.
(transitive, figurative) To deaden, dull (the mind, faculties, etc.).
Source: Wiktionary
Be*numb", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benumbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Benumbing.] Etym: [OE. binomen, p. p. of binimen to take away, AS. beniman; pref. be + niman to take. See Numb, a., and cf. Benim.]
Definition: To make torpid; to deprive of sensation or sensibility; to stupefy; as, a hand or foot benumbed by cold. The creeping death benumbed her senses first. Dryden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
27 April 2024
GREAT
(adjective) remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect; “a great crisis”; “had a great stake in the outcome”
Coffee Trivia
