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.
NOCTURNAL
nocturnal
(adjective) belonging to or active during the night; “nocturnal animals are active at night”; “nocturnal plants have flowers that open at night and close by day”
nocturnal
(adjective) of or relating to or occurring in the night; “nocturnal darkness”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
nocturnal (comparative more nocturnal, superlative most nocturnal)
(of a person, creature, group, or species) Primarily active during the night.
(of an occurrence) Taking place at night, nightly.
Antonyms
• diurnal
Coordinate terms
• crepuscular
Noun
nocturnal (plural nocturnals)
A person or creature that is active at night.
(historical) A device for telling the time at night, rather like a sundial but read according to the stars.
Synonym: star clock
Source: Wiktionary
Noc*tur"nal, a. Etym: [L. nocturnalis, nocturnus, fr. nox, noctis, night. See Night, and cf. Nocturn.]
1. Of, pertaining to, done or occuring in, the night; as, nocturnal darkness, cries, expedition, etc.; -- opposed to Ant: diurnal. Dryden.
2. Having a habit of seeking food or moving about at night; as, nocturnal birds and insects.
Noc*tur"nal, n.
Definition: An instrument formerly used for taking the altitude of the stars, etc., at sea. I. Watts.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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4 April 2025
GUILLOTINE
(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”
Coffee Trivia
