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.
understatement
(noun) a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
Source: WordNet® 3.1
understatement (usually uncountable, plural understatements)
An incomplete statement, particularly
(uncountable, rhetoric) A figure of speech whereby something is made to seem smaller or less important than it actually is, either through phrasing or lack of emphasis, often for ironic effect; meiosis.
An instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis.
An incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.
• (rhetorical device): meiosis
• (generally): overstatement
• (rhetorical device): See hyperbole
• (rhetorical device, stating something by denying its opposite): litotes
• (instance of its use, extreme brevity): laconism
Source: Wiktionary
Un"der*state`ment, n.
Definition: The act of understating, or the condition of being understated; that which is understated; a statement below the truth.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
20 April 2025
(noun) food mixtures either arranged on a plate or tossed and served with a moist dressing; usually consisting of or including greens
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.