Coffee has initially been a food – chewed, not sipped. Early African tribes consume coffee by grinding the berries together, adding some animal fat, and rolling the treats into tiny edible energy balls.
SUBSTRATUM
substrate, substratum
(noun) an indigenous language that contributes features to the language of an invading people who impose their language on the indigenous population; “the Celtic languages of Britain are a substrate for English”
substrate, substratum
(noun) any stratum or layer lying underneath another
substrate, substratum
(noun) a surface on which an organism grows or is attached; “the gardener talked about the proper substrate for acid-loving plants”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
substratum (plural substrata)
A layer that lies underneath another.
Synonym: underlayer
(figuratively) The underlying cause or basis of something.
(linguistics) A substrate.
Source: Wiktionary
Sub*stra"tum, n.; pl. Substrata. Etym: [L. substratus, p.p. of substernere to strew under; sub under + sternere to strew. See Stratum.]
1. That which is laid or spread under; that which underlies something, as a layer of earth lying under another; specifically (Agric.), the subsoil.
2. (Metaph.)
Definition: The permanent subject of qualities or cause of phenomena; substance.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
30 June 2025
BODILY
(adjective) affecting or characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit; “bodily needs”; “a corporal defect”; “corporeal suffering”; “a somatic symptom or somatic illness”
Coffee Trivia
