The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
COWER
fawn, crawl, creep, cringe, cower, grovel
(verb) show submission or fear
huddle, cower
(verb) crouch or curl up; “They huddled outside in the rain”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Verb
cower (third-person singular simple present cowers, present participle cowering, simple past and past participle cowered)
(intransitive) To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.
(intransitive, archaic) To crouch in general.
(transitive) To cause to cower; to frighten into submission.
Etymology 2
Verb
cower (third-person singular simple present cowers, present participle cowering, simple past and past participle cowered)
(obsolete, transitive) To cherish with care.
Anagrams
• Crowe
Source: Wiktionary
Cow"er (-r), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Cowered (-rd);p. pr. & vb. n. Cowering.] Etym: [Cf. Icel. kera to doze, liequiet, Sw. kura, Dan. kure, G. kauern to cower, W. cwrian.]
Definition: To stoop by bending the knees; to crouch; to squat; hence, to quail; to sink through fear. Our dame sits cowering o'er a kitchen fire. Dryden. Like falcons, cowering on the nest. Goldsmith.
Cow"er (kou"r), v. t.
Definition: To cherish with care. [Obs.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
23 January 2025
LEFT
(adjective) being or located on or directed toward the side of the body to the west when facing north; “my left hand”; “left center field”; “the left bank of a river is bank on your left side when you are facing downstream”
Coffee Trivia
