In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
FISTULA
fistula, sinus
(noun) an abnormal passage leading from a suppurating cavity to the body surface
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
fistula (plural fistulas or fistulae or fistulæ)
(medicine) An abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels that normally do not connect.
(rare) A tube, a pipe, or a hole.
(Christianity, historical) The tube through which the wine of the Eucharist was once sucked from the chalice.
Synonym: calamus
Usage notes
• (medicine): The skin is regarded as an organ, so the definition includes the abnormal connection of an internal organ to the body's exterior (as in, for example, enterocutaneous fistulas).
• Sometimes, a fistula will be intentionally created; for example, an arteriovenous fistula is sometimes created to ease the treatment of a patient with end stage renal failure.
Synonyms
• (tube): pipe, tube
Source: Wiktionary
Fis"tu*la, n.; pl. Fistulæ. Etym: [L.]
1. A reed; a pipe.
2. A pipe for convejing water. [Obs.] Knight.
3. (Med.)
Definition: A permanent abnormal opening into the soft parts with a constant discharge; a deep, narrow, chronic abscess; an abnormal opening between an internal cavity and another cavity or the surface; as, a salivary fistula; an anal fistula; a recto-vaginal fistula. Incomplete fistula (Med.), a fistula open at one end only.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
12 June 2025
RAREFACTION
(noun) a decrease in the density of something; “a sound wave causes periodic rarefactions in its medium”
Coffee Trivia
