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.
Via obsolete French torse (a wreath) from Latin torquēre (to twist).
torse (plural torses)
(heraldry) A twist of cloth or wreath underneath and forming part of a crest; an orle, a wreath. It is customarily shown with six twists, the first tincture being the tincture of the field, the second the tincture of the metal, and so on.
• orle
• wreath
torse (plural torses)
Obsolete form of torso.
• Resto, resto, roset, rotes, sorte, store, tores
Source: Wiktionary
Torse, n. Etym: [OF., fr. OF. & F. tors, torse, twisted, wreathed, p. p. of tordre to twist, L. torquere. See Torture.]
1. (Her.)
Definition: A wreath.
2. Etym: [F. tors, torse, twisted.] (Geom.)
Definition: A developable surface. See under Developable.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
29 May 2025
(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”
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.