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.
PALANQUIN
palanquin, palankeen
(noun) a closed litter carried on the shoulders of four bearers
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
palanquin (plural palanquins)
A covered type of litter for a stretched-out passenger, carried on four poles on the shoulders of four or more bearers, as formerly used (also by colonials) in eastern Asia.
Source: Wiktionary
Pal`an*quin", n. Etym: [F. palanquin, Pg. palanquim, Javan. palangki, OJavan. palangkan, through Prakrit fr. Skr. parya, palya, bed, couch; pari around (akin to E. pref. peri-) + a a hook, flank, probably akin to E. angle fishing tackle. Cf. Palkee.]
Definition: An inclosed carriage or litter, commonly about eight feet long, four feet wide, and four feet high, borne on the shoulders of men by means of two projecting poles, -- used in India, China, etc., for the conveyance of a single person from place to place. [Written also palankeen.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Word of the Day
8 February 2025
STATE
(noun) the group of people comprising the government of a sovereign state; “the state has lowered its income tax”
Coffee Trivia
