In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
MEAGRELY
meagerly, sparingly, slenderly, meagrely
(adverb) to a meager degree or in a meager manner; “these voices are meagerly represented at the conference”; “the area is slenderly endowed with natural resources”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adverb
meagrely (comparative more meagrely, superlative most meagrely)
In a meagre way; poorly; inadequately.
Anagrams
• meagerly
Source: Wiktionary
Mea"ger*ly, Mea"gre*ly, adv.
Definition: Poorly; thinly.
MEAGRE
Mea"ger, Mea"gre, a. Etym: [OE. merge, F. maigre, L. macer; akin to D. & G. mager, Icel. magr, and prob. to Gr. Emaciate, Maigre.]
1. Destitue of, or having little, flesh; lean. Meager were his looks; Sharp misery had worn him to the bones. Shak.
2. Destitute of richness, fertility, strength, or the like; defective in quantity, or poor in quality; poor; barren; scanty in ideas; wanting strength of diction or affluence of imagery. "Meager soil." Dryden. Of secular habits and meager religious belief. I. Taylor. His education had been but meager. Motley.
3. (Min.)
Definition: Dry and harsh to the touch, as chalk.
Syn.
– Thin; lean; lank; gaunt; starved; hungry; poor; emaciated; scanty; barren.
Mea"ger, Mea"gre, v. t.
Definition: To make lean. [Obs.]
Mea"gre, n. Etym: [F. maigre.] (Zoöl.)
Definition: A large European sciænoid fish (Sciæna umbra or S. aquila), having white bloodless flesh. It is valued as a food fish. [Written also maigre.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
19 February 2025
TRANSLATION
(noun) (genetics) the process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm
Coffee Trivia
