In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
TESTUDO
Testudo, genus Testudo
(noun) type genus of the Testudinidae
testudo
(noun) a movable protective covering that provided protection from above; used by Roman troops when approaching the walls of a besieged fortification
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
testudo (plural testudos or testudoes or testudines)
(historical, Roman antiquity) A shelter formed by a body of troops by holding their shields or targets close together over their heads.
A shelter of similar shape for miners, etc.
(music) A kind of lyre; so called in allusion to the lyre of Mercury, fabled to have been made of the shell of a tortoise.
An encysted tumour.
(anatomy) The fornix.
Anagrams
• duettos
Source: Wiktionary
Tes*tu"do, n.; pl. Testudines. Etym: [L., from testa the shell of shellfish, or of testaceous animals.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Definition: A genus of tortoises which formerly included a large number of diverse forms, but is now restricted to certain terrestrial species, such as the European land tortoise (Testudo Græca) and the gopher of the Southern United States.
2. (Rom. Antiq.)
Definition: A cover or screen which a body of troops formed with their shields or targets, by holding them over their heads when standing close to each other. This cover resembled the back of a tortoise, and served to shelter the men from darts, stones, and other missiles. A similar defense was sometimes formed of boards, and moved on wheels.
3. (Mus.)
Definition: A kind of musical instrument. a species of lyre; -- so called in allusion to the lyre of Mercury, fabled to have been made of the shell of a tortoise.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
28 December 2024
ACERVULUS
(noun) small asexual fruiting body resembling a cushion or blister consisting of a mat of hyphae that is produced on a host by some fungi
Coffee Trivia
