In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.
SUMPTUARY
sumptuary
(adjective) regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior; “sumptuary laws discouraging construction of large houses on small plots”; “sumptuary laws forbidding gambling”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
sumptuary (comparative more sumptuary, superlative most sumptuary)
Relating to expense; regulating expense or expenditure.
(of a law, regulation, etc.) Intended to restrain or limit the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc.; to regulate the prices of commodities and the wages of labor; or to forbid or restrict the use of certain articles, as of luxurious apparel.
Source: Wiktionary
Sump"tu*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. sumptuarius, fr. sumptus expense, cost, fr. sumere, sumptum, to take, use, spend; sub under + emere to take, buy: cf. F. somptuaire. See Redeem.]
Definition: Relating to expense; regulating expense or expenditure. Bacon. Sumptuary laws or regulations, laws intended to restrain or limit the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc.; laws which regulate the prices of commodities and the wages of labor; laws which forbid or restrict the use of certain articles, as of luxurious apparel.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
23 June 2025
PEOPLE
(noun) members of a family line; “his people have been farmers for generations”; “are your people still alive?”
Coffee Trivia
