In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
VIRULENCE
virulence, virulency
(noun) extreme hostility; “the virulence of the malicious old man”
virulence, virulency
(noun) extreme harmfulness (as the capacity of a microorganism to cause disease); “the virulence of the plague”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
virulence (countable and uncountable, plural virulences)
The state of being virulent.
A measure of how virulent a thing is.
Source: Wiktionary
Vir"u*lence, Vir"u*len*cy, n. Etym: [Cf. F. virulence, L. virulentia an offensive odor, a stench.]
1. The quality or state of being virulent or venomous; poisonousness; malignancy.
2. Extreme bitterness or malignity of disposition. "Refuted without satirical virulency." Barrow. The virulence of one declaimer, or the profundities and sublimities of the other. I. Taylor.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
10 March 2025
FABLED
(adjective) celebrated in fable or legend; “the fabled Paul Bunyan and his blue ox”; “legendary exploits of Jesse James”
Coffee Trivia
