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.
tocsin, warning bell
(noun) a bell used to sound an alarm
tocsin, alarm bell
(noun) the sound of an alarm (usually a bell)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
tocsin (plural tocsins)
An alarm or other signal sounded by a bell or bells, originally especially with reference to France.
A bell used to sound an alarm.
• Costin, sintoc, tonics
Source: Wiktionary
Toc"sin, n. Etym: [F., fr. OF. toquier to touch, F. toquer (originally, a dialectic form of F. toucher) + seint (for sein) a bell, LL. signum, fr. L. signum a sign, signal. See Touch, and Sign.]
Definition: An alarm bell, or the ringing of a bell for the purpose of alarm. The loud tocsin tolled their last alarm. Campbell.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
15 May 2024
(noun) acquiring or coming into something (usually undesirable); “incurring debts is easier than paying them”
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.