In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
PONTOON
pontoon
(noun) a float supporting a seaplane
pontoon
(noun) (nautical) a floating structure (as a flat-bottomed boat) that serves as a dock or to support a bridge
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
pontoon (plural pontoons)
(military) A flat-bottomed boat used as a support for a temporary bridge.
A floating structure supporting a bridge or dock.
Synonym: pontoon bridge
A box used to raise a sunken vessel.
A float of a seaplane.
A lighter or barge used for loading or unloading ships.
Etymology 2
Noun
pontoon (uncountable)
(card games) A card game in which the object is to obtain cards whose value adds up to, or nearly to, 21 but not exceed it.
Synonym: vingt-et-un
Source: Wiktionary
Pon*toon", n. Etym: [F. ponton (cf. It. pontone), from L. ponto, - onis, fr. pons, pontis, a bridge, perhaps originally, a way, path: cf. Gr. path, pathi, panthan. Cf. Punt a boat.]
1. (Mil.)
Definition: A wooden flat-bottomed boat, a metallic cylinder, or a frame covered with canvas, India rubber, etc., forming a portable float, used in building bridges quickly for the passage of troops.
2. (Naut.)
Definition: A low, flat vessel, resembling a barge, furnished with cranes, capstans, and other machinery, used in careening ships, raising weights, drawing piles, etc., chiefly in the Mediterranean; a lighter. Pontoon bridge, a bridge formed with pontoons.
– Pontoon train, the carriages of the pontoons, and the materials they carry for making a pontoon bridge.
Note: The French spelling ponton often appears in scientific works, but pontoon is more common form.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
3 April 2025
WHOLE
(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”
Coffee Trivia
