In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.
BETOKEN
bode, portend, auspicate, prognosticate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict
(verb) indicate, as with a sign or an omen; “These signs bode bad news”
bespeak, betoken, indicate, point, signal
(verb) be a signal for or a symptom of; “These symptoms indicate a serious illness”; “Her behavior points to a severe neurosis”; “The economic indicators signal that the euro is undervalued”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
betoken (third-person singular simple present betokens, present participle betokening, simple past and past participle betokened)
(transitive) To signify by some visible object; show by signs or tokens.
(transitive) To foreshow by present signs; indicate something future by that which is seen or known.
Synonyms
• (signify): indicate, mark, note
• (foreshow): portend, presage, forebode
Source: Wiktionary
Be*to"ken, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betokened; p. pr. & vb. n. Betokening.]
1. To signify by some visible object; to show by signs or tokens. A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow . . . Betokening peace from God, and covenant new. Milton.
2. To foreshow by present signs; to indicate something future by that which is seen or known; as, a dark cloud often betokens a storm.
Syn.
– To presage; portend; indicate; mark; note.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
15 April 2025
DOOMED
(adjective) marked by or promising bad fortune; “their business venture was doomed from the start”; “an ill-fated business venture”; “an ill-starred romance”; “the unlucky prisoner was again put in irons”- W.H.Prescott
Coffee Trivia
