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.
SPUTUM
phlegm, sputum
(noun) expectorated matter; saliva mixed with discharges from the respiratory passages; in ancient and medieval physiology it was believed to cause sluggishness
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
sputum (countable and uncountable, plural sputa)
(physiology) Matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth, composed of saliva and discharges from the respiratory passages such as mucus, phlegm or pus.
Source: Wiktionary
Spu"tum, n.; pl. Sputa. Etym: [L., from spuere, sputum, to spit.]
Definition: That which is expectorated; a salival discharge; spittle; saliva.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
31 March 2025
IMPROVISED
(adjective) done or made using whatever is available; “crossed the river on improvised bridges”; “the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear”; “the rock served as a makeshift hammer”
Coffee Trivia
