In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
VERVAIN
verbena, vervain
(noun) any of numerous tropical or subtropical American plants of the genus Verbena grown for their showy spikes of variously colored flowers
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
vervain (countable and uncountable, plural vervains)
A herbaceous plant, Verbena officinalis, common in Europe and formerly held to have medicinal properties.
Source: Wiktionary
Ver"vain, n. Etym: [OE. verveine, F. verveine, fr. L. verbena, pl. verbenae sacred boughs of laurel, olive, or myrtle, a class of plants; cf. verbenaca vervain. Cf. Verbena.] (Bot.)
Definition: Any plant of the genus Verbena. Vervain mallow (Bot.), a species of mallow (Malva Alcea) with rose-colored flowers.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
26 June 2025
DISPIRITEDLY
(adverb) in a dispirited manner without hope; “the first Mozartian opera to be subjected to this curious treatment ran dispiritedly for five performances”
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