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.
IMPALEMENT
impalement
(noun) the act of piercing with a sharpened stake as a form of punishment or torture
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
impalement (countable and uncountable, plural impalements)
The act of torturing or executing someone by impaling them on a sharp stake.
(heraldry) The joining of two coats of arms on one shield.
An enclosed space.
Source: Wiktionary
Im*pale"ment, n.
1. The act of impaling, or the state of being impaled. Byron.
2. An inclosing by stakes or pales, or the space so inclosed. H. Brooke.
3. That which hedges in; inclosure. [R.] Milton.
4. (Her.)
Definition: The division of a shield palewise, or by a vertical line, esp. for the purpose of putting side by side the arms of husband and wife. See Impale, 3.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
1 May 2024
ABOUND
(verb) be in a state of movement or action; “The room abounded with screaming children”; “The garden bristled with toddlers”
Coffee Trivia
