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.
NOCTILUCA
noctiluca, Noctiluca miliaris
(noun) large bioluminescent marine protozoan
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
noctiluca (countable and uncountable, plural noctilucae or noctilucas)
(obsolete) A firefly, glowworm.
(obsolete) The moon
(obsolete) A phosphorescent substance
Alternative letter-case form of mul (“Noctiluca”)
Anagrams
• ciclatoun
Source: Wiktionary
Noc`ti*lu"ca, n.; pl. NoctilucÆ. Etym: [L. noctiluca something that shines by night, fr. nox, noctis, night + lucere to shine, lux light.]
1. (Old Chem.)
Definition: That which shines at night; -- a fanciful name for phosphorus.
2. (Zoöl.)
Definition: A genus of marine flagellate Infusoria, remarkable for their unusually large size and complex structure, as well as for their phosphorescence. The brilliant diffuse phosphorescence of the sea is often due to myriads of Noctilucæ.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
22 April 2025
BRIGHT
(adjective) made smooth and bright by or as if by rubbing; reflecting a sheen or glow; “bright silver candlesticks”; “a burnished brass knocker”; “she brushed her hair until it fell in lustrous auburn waves”; “rows of shining glasses”; “shiny black patents”
Coffee Trivia
