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.
WORSEN
worsen, decline
(verb) grow worse; “Conditions in the slum worsened”
worsen, aggravate, exacerbate, exasperate
(verb) make worse; “This drug aggravates the pain”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
worsen (third-person singular simple present worsens, present participle worsening, simple past and past participle worsened)
(transitive) To make worse; to impair.
(intransitive) To become worse; to get worse.
(transitive, obsolete) To get the better of; to worst.
Synonyms
• (to make worse): aggravate, exacerbate; See also aggravate
• (to become worse): decline, deteriorate; See also worsen
• (to get the better of): better, defeat, overpower
Antonyms
• improve
• ameliorate
Anagrams
• Rewson, owners, resown, rowens, snower, sworne
Source: Wiktionary
Wors"en, v. t.
1. To make worse; to deteriorate; to impair. It is apparent that, in the particular point of which we have been conversing, their condition is greatly worsened. Southey.
2. To get the better of; to worst. [R.]
Wors"en, v. i.
Definition: To grow or become worse. De Quincey. Indifferent health, which seemed rather to worsen than improve. Carlyle.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
19 April 2025
CATCH
(verb) grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; “did you catch that allusion?”; “We caught something of his theory in the lecture”; “don’t catch your meaning”; “did you get it?”; “She didn’t get the joke”; “I just don’t get him”
Coffee Trivia
