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.
RIBALDEST
RIBALD
Rib"ald, n./ Etym: [OE. ribald, ribaud, F. ribaud, OF. ribald, ribault, LL. ribaldus, of German origin; cf. OHG hripa prostitute. For the ending -ald cf. E. Herald.]
Definition: A low, vulgar, brutal, foul-mouthed wretch; a lewd fellow. Spenser. Pope. Ribald was almost a class name in the feudal system . . . He was his patron's parasite, bulldog, and tool . . . It is not to be wondered at that the word rapidly became a synonym for everything ruffianly and brutal. Earle.
Rib"ald, a.
Definition: Low; base; mean; filthy; obscene. The busy day, Waked by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows. Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Word of the Day
13 January 2025
SOAK
(noun) the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid); “a good soak put life back in the wagon”
Coffee Trivia
