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.
MODESTY
modesty, reserve
(noun) formality and propriety of manner
modesty, modestness
(noun) freedom from vanity or conceit
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
modesty (usually uncountable, plural modesties)
The quality of being modest; having a limited and not overly high opinion of oneself and one's abilities.
Moderate behaviour; reserve.
(specifically) Pudency, avoidance of sexual explicitness.
Antonyms
• immodesty
• extravagance
• impudence
Source: Wiktionary
Mod"es*ty, n. Etym: [L. modestia: cf. F. modestie. See Modest.]
1. The quality or state of being modest; that lowly temper which accompanies a moderate estimate of one's own worth and importance; absence of self-assertion, arrogance, and presumption; humility respecting one's own merit.
2. Natural delicacy or shame regarding personal charms and the sexual relation; purity of thought and manners; due regard for propriety in speech or action. Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty. Shak. Modesty piece, a narrow piece of lace worn by women over the bosom. [Obs.] Addison.
Syn.
– Bashfulness; humility; diffidence; shyness. See Bashfulness, and Humility.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
24 May 2025
EARTHSHAKING
(adjective) sufficiently significant to affect the whole world; “earthshaking proposals”; “the contest was no world-shaking affair”; “the conversation...could hardly be called world-shattering”
Coffee Trivia
