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.
THREATEN
threaten
(verb) to utter intentions of injury or punishment against; “He threatened me when I tried to call the police”
threaten
(verb) to be a menacing indication of something; “The clouds threaten rain”; “Danger threatens”
endanger, jeopardize, jeopardise, menace, threaten, imperil, peril
(verb) pose a threat to; present a danger to; “The pollution is endangering the crops”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
threaten (third-person singular simple present threatens, present participle threatening, simple past and past participle threatened)
To make a threat against someone; to use threats.
To menace, or be dangerous.
To portend, or give a warning of.
(figuratively) To be close to equaling or surpassing (a record, etc.)
Usage notes
• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See English catenative verbs
Source: Wiktionary
Threat"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Threatened; p. pr. & vb. n. Threatening.] Etym: [OE. . See Threat, v. t.]
1. To utter threats against; to menace; to inspire with apprehension; to alarm, or attempt to alarm, as with the promise of something evil or disagreeable; to warn. Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. Acts iv. 17.
2. To exhibit the appearance of (something evil or unpleasant) as approaching; to indicate as impending; to announce the conditional infliction of; as, to threaten war; to threaten death. Milton. The skies look grimly And threaten present blusters. Shak.
Syn.
– To menace.
– Threaten, Menace. Threaten is Anglo-Saxon, and menace is Latin. As often happens, the former is the more familiar term; the latter is more employed in formal style. We are threatened with a drought; the country is menaced with war. By turns put on the suppliant and the lord: Threatened this moment, and the next implored. Prior. Of the sharp ax Regardless, that o'er his devoted head Hangs menacing. Somerville.
Threat"en, v. i.
Definition: To use threats, or menaces; also, to have a threatening appearance. Though the seas threaten, they are merciful. Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
3 May 2025
DESIRABLE
(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”
Coffee Trivia
