In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
INSTRUMENTAL
implemental, instrumental, subservient
(adjective) serving or acting as a means or aid; “instrumental in solving the crime”
instrumental
(adjective) relating to or designed for or performed on musical instruments; “instrumental compositions”; “an instrumental ensemble”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
instrumental (comparative more instrumental, superlative most instrumental)
essential or central; of great importance or relevance.
(music) Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, especially a musical instrument (rather than the human voice).
(grammar) Applied to a case expressing means or agency, generally indicated in English by by or with with the objective.
Antonyms
• noninstrumental
Coordinate terms
• (serving as a means): final
• (music): vocal, a capella
Noun
instrumental (plural instrumentals)
(grammar) The instrumental case.
(music) A composition written or performed without lyrics, sometimes using a lead instrument to replace vocals.
Source: Wiktionary
In`stru*men"tal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. instrumental.]
1. Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; as, he was instrumental in conducting the business. The head is not more native to the heart, The hand more instrumental to the mouth. Shak.
2. (Mus.)
Definition: Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, esp. a musical instrument; as, instrumental music, distinguished from vocal music. "He defended the use of instrumental music in public worship." Macaulay. Sweet voices mix'd with instrumental sounds. Dryden.
3. (Gram.)
Definition: Applied to a case expressing means or agency; as, the instrumental case. This is found in Sanskrit as a separate case, but in Greek it was merged into the dative, and in Latin into the ablative. In Old English it was a separate case, but has disappeared, leaving only a few anomalous forms. Instrumental errors, those errors in instrumental measurements, etc., which arise, exclusively from want of mathematical accuracy in an instrument.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
10 January 2025
INTERSPERSION
(noun) the act of combining one thing at intervals among other things; “the interspersion of illustrations in the text”
Coffee Trivia
