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.
HORNET
hornet
(noun) large stinging paper wasp
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
hornet (plural hornets)
A large wasp, of the genus Vespa, having a brown-and-yellow-striped body and the ability to inflict a serious sting.
A person who pesters with petty but ceaseless attacks.
Anagrams
• Rhoten, Theron, Thoren, Thorne, enhort, nother, other'n, throne
Noun
Hornet (plural Hornets)
(soccer) someone connected with Watford Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.
Anagrams
• Rhoten, Theron, Thoren, Thorne, enhort, nother, other'n, throne
Source: Wiktionary
Hor"net, n. Etym: [AS. hyrnet; akin to OHG. hornaz, hornuz, G. horniss; perh. akin to E. horn, and named from the sound it makes as if blowing the horn; but more prob. akin to D. horzel, Lith. szirszone, L. crabo.] (Zoöl.)
Definition: A large, strong wasp. The European species (Vespa crabro) is of a dark brown and yellow color. It is very pugnacious, and its sting is very severe. Its nest is constructed of a paperlike material, and the layers of comb are hung together by columns. The American white- faced hornet (V. maculata) is larger and has similar habits. Hornet fly (Zoöl.), any dipterous insect of the genus Asilus, and allied genera, of which there are numerous species. They are large and fierce flies which capture bees and other insects, often larger than themselves, and suck their blood. Called also hawk fly, robber fly.
– To stir up a hornet's nest, to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. [Colloq.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
29 March 2025
THOUGHTLESS
(adjective) without care or thought for others; “the thoughtless saying of a great princess on being informed that the people had no bread; ‘Let them eat cake’”
Coffee Trivia
