In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
STARVATION
starvation, starving
(noun) the act of depriving of food or subjecting to famine; “the besiegers used starvation to induce surrender”; “they were charged with the starvation of children in their care”
starvation, famishment
(noun) a state of extreme hunger resulting from lack of essential nutrients over a prolonged period
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
starvation (countable and uncountable, plural starvations)
A condition of severe suffering due to a lack of nutrition.
(figurative) Severe shortage of resources.
Source: Wiktionary
Star*va"tion, n.
Definition: The act of starving, or the state of being starved.
Note: This word was first used, according to Horace Walpole, by Henry Dundas, the first Lord Melville, in a speech on American affairs in 1775, which obtained for him the nickname of Starvation Dundas. "Starvation, we are also told, belongs to the class of 'vile compounds' from being a mongrel; as if English were not full of mongrels, and if it would not be in distressing straits without them." Fitzed. Hall.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
12 February 2025
MEGACOLON
(noun) an abnormal enlargement of the colon; can be congenital (as in Hirschsprung’s disease) or acquired (as when children refuse to defecate)
Coffee Trivia
