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.
EXCISES
Noun
excises
plural of excise
Source: Wiktionary
EXCISE
Ex*cise", n. Etym: [Apparently fr. L. excisum cut off, fr. excidere to cut out or off; ex out, off + caedere to cut; or, as the word was formerly written accise, fr. F. accise, LL. accisia, as if fr. L. accidere, accisum, to cut into; ad + caedere to cut; but prob. transformed fr. OF. assise, LL. assisa, assisia, assize. See Assize, Concise.]
1. In inland duty or impost operating as an indirect tax on the consumer, levied upon certain specified articles, as, tobacco, ale, spirits, etc., grown or manufactured in the country. It is also levied to pursue certain trades and deal in certain commodities. Certain direct taxes (as, in England, those on carriages, servants, plate, armorial bearings, etc.), are included in the excise. Often used adjectively; as, excise duties; excise law; excise system. The English excise system corresponds to the internal revenue system in the United States. Abbot. An excise . . . is a fixed, absolute, and direct charge laid on merchandise, products, or commodities. 11 Allen's (Mass. ) Rpts.
2. That department or bureau of the public service charged with the collection of the excise taxes. [Eng.]
Ex*cise", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Excised; p. pr. & vb. n. Excising.]
1. To lay or impose an excise upon.
2. To impose upon; to overcharge. [Prov. Eng.]
Ex*cise", v. t. Etym: [See Excide.]
Definition: To cut out or off; to separate and remove; as, to excise a tumor.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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