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.
PERTURB
perturb, derange, throw out of kilter
(verb) throw into great confusion or disorder; “Fundamentalists threaten to perturb the social order”
perturb, unhinge, disquiet, trouble, cark, distract, disorder
(verb) disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed; “She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill”
perturb
(verb) cause a celestial body to deviate from a theoretically regular orbital motion, especially as a result of interposed or extraordinary gravitational pull; “The orbits of these stars were perturbed by the passings of a comet”
perturb
(verb) disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or atom; “The electrons were perturbed by the passing ion”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
perturb (third-person singular simple present perturbs, present participle perturbing, simple past and past participle perturbed)
To disturb; to bother or unsettle.
(physics) To slightly modify the motion of an object.
(astronomy) To modify the motion of a body by exerting a gravitational force.
(mathematics) To modify slightly, such as an equation or value.
Source: Wiktionary
Per*turb", v. t. Etym: [L. perturbare, perturbatum; per + turbare to disturb, fr. turba a disorder: cf. OF. perturber. See Per-, and Turbid.]
1. To disturb; to agitate; to vex; to trouble; to disquiet. Ye that . . . perturb so my feast with crying. Chaucer.
2. To disorder; to confuse. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
18 April 2025
GROIN
(noun) the crease at the junction of the inner part of the thigh with the trunk together with the adjacent region and often including the external genitals
Coffee Trivia
