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.
UPAS
Etymology
Noun
upas (usually uncountable, plural upases)
(usually countable) A tree, Antiaris toxicaria, of the mulberry family, common in the forests of Java and the neighboring islands, with poisonous secretions.
(uncountable) A virulent poison used in Java and the adjacent islands for poisoning arrows derived from the tree.
(uncountable) A poison prepared from the climbing plant Strychnos tieute.
Synonyms
• (Antiaris toxicaria): bohun upas
• (poison from Antiaris toxicaria)
• (poison from Strychnos tieute): upas tieute
Anagrams
• APUs, AUPs, Apsu, Apus, PUAs, UAPs, paus, puas
Source: Wiktionary
U"pas, n. Etym: [Malay p; p a tree + poison.]
1. (Bot.)
Definition: A tree (Antiaris toxicaria) of the Breadfruit family, common in the forests of Java and the neighboring islands. Its secretions are poisonous, and it has been fabulously reported that the atmosphere about it is deleterious. Called also bohun upas.
2. A virulent poison used in Java and the adjacent islands for poisoning arrows. One kind, upas antiar, is, derived from upas tree (Antiaris toxicaria). Upas tieute is prepared from a climbing plant (Strychnos Tieute).
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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