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.
MERCENARY
mercantile, mercenary, moneymaking
(adjective) profit oriented; “a commercial book”; “preached a mercantile and militant patriotism”- John Buchan; “a mercenary enterprise”; “a moneymaking business”
materialistic, mercenary, worldly-minded
(adjective) marked by materialism
mercenary, soldier of fortune
(noun) a person hired to fight for another country than their own
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
mercenary (plural mercenaries)
(archaic) One motivated by gain, especially monetary.
A person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose primary motivation is private gain.
(figuratively) One hired to engage in a figurative battle, as a corporate takeover, a lawsuit, or a political campaign.
Synonyms
• See mercenary
Hyponyms
• condottiere, freelance, gallowglass, Landsknecht, lansquenet, Mamertine, routier, turcopole
Adjective
mercenary (comparative more mercenary, superlative most mercenary)
Motivated by private gain.
Synonyms
• (motivated by private gain): greedy, venal
• (hired for a figurative battle): hired gun
Source: Wiktionary
Mer"ce*na*ry, a. Etym: [OE. mercenarie, F. mercenaire, fr. L. mercenarius, fr. merces wages, reward. See Mercy.]
1. Acting for reward; serving for pay; paid; hired; hireling; venal; as, mercenary soldiers.
2. Hence: Moved by considerations of pay or profit; greedy of gain; sordid; selfish. Shak. For God forbid I should my papers blot With mercenary lines, with servile pen. Daniel.
Syn.
– See Venal.
Mer"ce*na*ry, n.; pl. Mercenaries (.
Definition: One who is hired; a hireling; especially, a soldier hired into foreign service. Milman.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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3 July 2025
SENSE
(noun) the faculty through which the external world is apprehended; “in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing”
Coffee Trivia
