In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
OBTUND
obtund
(verb) reduce the edge or violence of; “obtunded reflexes”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
obtund (third-person singular simple present obtunds, present participle obtunding, simple past and past participle obtunded)
(transitive, chiefly, medicine) To reduce the edge or effects of; to mitigate; to dull.
Synonyms
• (dull or mitigate): blunt, deaden
Source: Wiktionary
Ob*tund", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obtunded; p. pr. & vb. n. Obtunding.] Etym: [L. obtundere, obtusum; ob (see Ob-) + tundere to strike or beat. See Stutter.]
Definition: To reduce the edge, pungency, or violent action of; to dull; to blunt; to deaden; to quell; as, to obtund the acrimony of the gall. [Archaic] Harvey. They...have filled all our law books with the obtunding story of their suits and trials. Milton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
27 March 2025
SUCCESS
(noun) an event that accomplishes its intended purpose; “let’s call heads a success and tails a failure”; “the election was a remarkable success for the Whigs”
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