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.
IRRADIATION
radiotherapy, radiation therapy, radiation, actinotherapy, irradiation
(noun) (medicine) the treatment of disease (especially cancer) by exposure to a radioactive substance
irradiation
(noun) (Pavolvian conditioning) the elicitation of a conditioned response by stimulation similar but not identical to the original stimulus
irradiation
(noun) the apparent enlargement of a bright object when viewed against a dark background
irradiation
(noun) (physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex
beam, beam of light, light beam, ray, ray of light, shaft, shaft of light, irradiation
(noun) a column of light (as from a beacon)
irradiation
(noun) the condition of being exposed to radiation
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
irradiation (countable and uncountable, plural irradiations)
An act of irradiating, or state of being irradiated.
(obsolete) illumination; irradiance; brilliance.
(obsolete, figurative) mental light or illumination.
(obsolete) The apparent enlargement of a bright object seen upon a dark ground, due to the fact that the portions of the retina around the image are stimulated by the intense light; as when a dark spot on a white ground appears smaller, or a white spot on a dark ground larger, than it really is, especially when a little out of focus.
(uncountable) a process of sterilisation whereby radiation is passed through a bag containing food, utensils, etc, to sterilise the contents.
Source: Wiktionary
Ir*ra`di*a"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. irradiation.]
1. Act of irradiating, or state of being irradiated.
2. Illumination; irradiance; brilliancy. Sir W. Scott.
3. Fig.: Mental light or illumination. Sir M. Hale.
4. (Opt.)
Definition: The apparent enlargement of a bright object seen upon a dark ground, due to the fact that the portions of the retina around the image are stimulated by the intense light; as when a dark spot on a white ground appears smaller, or a white spot on a dark ground larger, than it really is, esp. when a little out of focus.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
27 February 2025
SUMMIT
(verb) reach the summit (of a mountain); “They breasted the mountain”; “Many mountaineers go up Mt. Everest but not all summit”
Coffee Trivia
