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.
DOWNFALL
downfall, ruin, ruination
(noun) failure that results in a loss of position or reputation
fall, downfall
(noun) a sudden decline in strength or number or importance; “the fall of the House of Hapsburg”
precipitation, downfall
(noun) the falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
downfall (countable and uncountable, plural downfalls)
A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.
Synonyms: fall (precipitous decline in fortune), doom (death or rapid deterioration)
The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.
• Orson Scott Card
An act of falling down.
Verb
downfall (third-person singular simple present downfalls, present participle downfalling, simple past downfell, past participle downfallen)
(intransitive) To fall down; deteriorate; decline.
Anagrams
• Wolfland, fall down, landfowl
Source: Wiktionary
Down"fall`, n.
1. A sudden fall; a body of things falling. Those cataracts or downfalls aforesaid. Holland. Each downfall of a flood the mountains pour. Dryden.
2. A sudden descent from rank or state, reputation or happiness; destruction; ruin. Dire were the consequences which would follow the downfall of so important a place. Motley.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
18 March 2025
ODONTOGLOSSUM
(noun) any of numerous and diverse orchids of the genus Odontoglossum having racemes of few to many showy usually large flowers in many colors
Coffee Trivia
