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.
BERIBERI
beriberi
(noun) avitaminosis caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin B1)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
beriberi (usually uncountable, plural beriberis)
(pathology) An ailment caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), leading to lethargy and organ complications.
Synonyms
• endemic neuritis
• kakke
Source: Wiktionary
Be`ri*be"ri, n. Etym: [Singhalese beri weakness.]
Definition: An acute disease occurring in India, characterized by multiple inflammatory changes in the nerves, producing great muscular debility, a painful rigidity of the limbs, and cachexy.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
6 October 2024
DATELESS
(adjective) of such great duration as to preclude the possibility of being assigned a date; “dateless customs”
Coffee Trivia