The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
RETIARY
Etymology
Adjective
retiary (not comparable)
net-like
Constructing or using a web, or net, to catch prey; said of certain spiders.
Armed with a net; hence, skilful at entangling.
Noun
retiary (plural retiaries)
(zoology) Any spider that spins webs to catch its prey.
(historical) A retiarius: a gladiator who fought with a net.
Source: Wiktionary
Re"ti*a*ry, n. Etym: [See Retiarius.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Definition: Any spider which spins webs to catch its prey.
2. A retiarius.
Re`ti*a*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. LL. retiarius.]
1. Netlike. This work is in retiary, or hanging textures. Sir T. Browne.
2. Constructing or using a web, or net, to catch prey; -- said of certain spiders.
3. Armed with a net; hence, skillful to entangle. Scholastic retiary versatility of logic. Coleridge.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
1 April 2025
ANYMORE
(adverb) at the present or from now on; usually used with a negative; “Alice doesn’t live here anymore”; “the children promised not to quarrel any more”
Coffee Trivia
