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.
PERQUISITE
prerogative, privilege, perquisite, exclusive right
(noun) a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right); “suffrage was the prerogative of white adult males”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
perquisite (plural perquisites)
(chiefly in the plural) Any monetary or other incidental benefit beyond salary.
A gratuity.
A privilege or possession held or claimed exclusively by a certain person, group or class.
Source: Wiktionary
Per"qui*site, n. Etym: [L. perquisitum, fr. perquisitus, p.p. of perquirere to ask for diligently; per + quaerere to seek. See Per-, and Quest.]
1. Something gained from a place or employment over and above the ordinary salary or fixed wages for services rendered; especially, a fee allowed by law to an officer for a specific service. The pillage of a place taken by storm was regarded as the perquisite of the soldiers. Prescott. The best perquisites of a place are the advantages it gaves a man of doing good. Addison.
2. pl. (Law)
Definition: Things gotten by a man's own industry, or purchased with his own money, as opposed to things which come to him by descent. Mozley & W.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
6 June 2025
PUNGENCY
(noun) wit having a sharp and caustic quality; “he commented with typical pungency”; “the bite of satire”
Coffee Trivia
