In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
FORMIC
formic
(adjective) of or containing or derived from formic acid
formic
(adjective) of or relating to or derived from ants
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
formic (not comparable)
Of or pertaining to ants.
(organic chemistry) Of, pertaining to or derived from formic acid (or from methane).
Synonyms
• antly
Source: Wiktionary
For"mic, a. Etym: [L. formica an ant: cf. F. formique.] (Chem.)
Definition: Pertaining to, or derived from, ants; as, formic acid; in an extended sense, pertaining to, or derived from, formic acid; as, formic ether. Amido formic acid, carbamic acid.
– Formic acid, a colorless, mobile liquid, HCO.OH, of a sharp, acid taste, occurring naturally in ants, nettles, pine needles, etc., and produced artifically in many ways, as by the oxidation of methyl alcohol, by the reduction of carbonic acid or the destructive distillation of oxalic acid. It is the first member of the fatty acids in the paraffin series, and is homologous with acetic acid.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
6 May 2025
HEEDLESS
(adjective) marked by or paying little heed or attention; “We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics”--Franklin D. Roosevelt; “heedless of danger”; “heedless of the child’s crying”
Coffee Trivia
