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.
SUPINELY
supinely
(adverb) in an indifferently supine manner; “he called the tune to me and I supinely took it up”
supinely
(adverb) with the face upward; “she was stretched supinely on her back”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adverb
supinely (comparative more supinely, superlative most supinely)
in a supine way, with the head facing up
Source: Wiktionary
SUPINE
Su*pine", a. Etym: [L. supinus, akin to sub under, super above. Cf. Sub-, Super-.]
1. Lying on the back, or with the face upward; -- opposed to prone.
2. Leaning backward, or inclining with exposure to the sun; sloping; inclined. If the vine On rising ground be placed, or hills supine. Dryden.
3. Negligent; heedless; indolent; listless. He became pusillanimous and supine, and openly exposed to any temptation. Woodward.
Syn.
– Negligent; heedless; indolent; thoughtless; inattentive; listless; careless; drowsy.
– Su*pine"ly, adv.
– Su*pine"ness, n.
Su"pine, n. Etym: [L. supinum (sc. verbum), from supinus bent or thrown backward, perhaps so called because, although furnished with substantive case endings, it rests or falls back, as it were, on the verb: cf. F. supin.] (Lat. Gram.)
Definition: A verbal noun; or (according to C.F.Becker), a case of the infinitive mood ending in -um and -u, that in -um being sometimes called the former supine, and that in -u the latter supine.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
4 June 2025
LEND
(verb) bestow a quality on; “Her presence lends a certain cachet to the company”; “The music added a lot to the play”; “She brings a special atmosphere to our meetings”; “This adds a light note to the program”
Coffee Trivia
