In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
CAVILED
Verb
caviled
simple past tense and past participle of cavil
Source: Wiktionary
CAVIL
Cav"il, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Caviled or Cavilled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Caviling or Cavilling.] Etym: [L. cavillari to practice jesting, to censure, fr. cavilla bantering jests, sophistry: cf. OF. caviller.]
Definition: To raise captious and frivolous objections; to find fault without good reason. You do not well in obstinacy To cavil in the course of this contract. Shak.
Cav"il, v. t.
Definition: To cavil at. [Obs.] Milton.
Cav"il, n.
Definition: A captious or frivolous objection. All the cavils of prejudice and unbelief. Shak.
Cav"il or Cav"il*er, n.
Definition: One who cavils. Cavilers at the style of the Scriptures. Boyle.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
31 March 2025
IMPROVISED
(adjective) done or made using whatever is available; “crossed the river on improvised bridges”; “the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear”; “the rock served as a makeshift hammer”
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