Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be âsatanic.â However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
LOOSEN
loosen, relax, loose
(verb) become loose or looser or less tight; âThe noose loosenedâ; âthe rope relaxedâ
loosen, loose
(verb) make loose or looser; âloosen the tension on a ropeâ
loosen
(verb) make less dense; âloosen the soilâ
untie, undo, loosen
(verb) cause to become loose; âundo the shoelaceâ; âuntie the knotâ; âloosen the necktieâ
tease, tease apart, loosen
(verb) disentangle and raise the fibers of; âtease woolâ
relax, loosen
(verb) become less severe or strict; âThe rules relaxed after the new director arrivedâ
relax, loosen
(verb) make less severe or strict; âThe government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caughtâ
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
loosen (third-person singular simple present loosens, present participle loosening, simple past and past participle loosened)
(transitive) To make loose.
Synonyms: ease, relax, untighten
(intransitive) To become loose.
(transitive) To disengage (a device that restrains).
Synonyms: undo, unfasten
(intransitive) To become unfastened or undone.
(transitive) To free from restraint; to set at liberty.
Synonyms: liberate, release, set free
(transitive) To relieve (the bowels) from constipation; to promote defecation.
(transitive, obsolete) To create a breach or rift between (two parties).
(intransitive, obsolete) To sail away (from the shore).
Synonym: put out
Antonyms
• tighten
Anagrams
• no-lose
Source: Wiktionary
Loos"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Loosened; p. pr. & vb. n. Loosening.] Etym: [See Loose, v. t.]
1. To make loose; to free from tightness, tension, firmness, or fixedness; to make less dense or compact; as, to loosen a string, or a knot; to loosen a rock in the earth. After a year's rooting, then shaking doth the tree good by loosening of the earth. Bacon.
2. To free from restraint; to set at liberty.. It loosens his hands, and assists his understanding. Dryden.
3. To remove costiveness from; to facilitate or increase the alvine discharges of. Bacon.
Loos"en, v. i.
Definition: To become loose; to become less tight, firm, or compact. S. Sharp.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
22 February 2025
ANALYSIS
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., âthe father of the brideâ instead of âthe brideâs fatherâ
Coffee Trivia
