COFFEE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does coffee mean? 

• COFFEE (noun)
  The noun COFFEE has 4 senses:

1. a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans

2. any of several small trees and shrubs native to the tropical Old World yielding coffee beans

3. a seed of the coffee tree; ground to make coffee

4. a medium brown to dark-brown color

  Familiarity information: COFFEE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COFFEE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

coffee; java

Context example:

he ordered a cup of coffee

Hypernyms ("coffee" is a kind of...):

beverage; drink; drinkable; potable (any liquid suitable for drinking)

Meronyms (substance of "coffee"):

coffee; coffee bean; coffee berry (a seed of the coffee tree; ground to make coffee)

caffein; caffeine (a bitter alkaloid found in coffee and tea that is responsible for their stimulating effects)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "coffee"):

cappuccino; cappuccino coffee; coffee cappuccino (equal parts of espresso and hot milk topped with cinnamon and nutmeg and usually whipped cream)

cafe royale; coffee royal (black coffee with Cognac and lemon peel and sugar)

Turkish coffee (a drink made from pulverized coffee beans; usually sweetened)

mocha; mocha coffee (a superior dark coffee made from beans from Arabia)

instant coffee (dehydrated coffee that can be made into a drink by adding hot water)

ice coffee; iced coffee (a strong sweetened coffee served over ice with cream)

espresso (strong black coffee brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans)

drip coffee (coffee made by passing boiling water through a perforated container packed with finely ground coffee)

decaf; decaffeinated coffee (coffee with the caffeine removed)

cafe noir; demitasse (small cup of strong black coffee without milk or cream)

cafe au lait (equal parts of coffee and hot milk)

Irish coffee (sweetened coffee with Irish whiskey and whipped cream)

coffee substitute (a drink resembling coffee that is sometimes substituted for it)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any of several small trees and shrubs native to the tropical Old World yielding coffee beans

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

coffee; coffee tree

Hypernyms ("coffee" is a kind of...):

tree (a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms)

Meronyms (parts of "coffee"):

coffee; coffee bean; coffee berry (a seed of the coffee tree; ground to make coffee)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "coffee"):

Arabian coffee; Coffea arabica (shrubby tree of northeastern tropical Africa widely cultivated in tropical or near tropical regions for its seed which form most of the commercial coffee)

Coffea liberica; Liberian coffee (small tree of West Africa)

Coffea canephora; Coffea robusta; Rio Nunez coffee; robusta coffee (native to West Africa but grown in Java and elsewhere; resistant to coffee rust)

Holonyms ("coffee" is a member of...):

Coffea; genus Coffea (coffee trees)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A seed of the coffee tree; ground to make coffee

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

coffee; coffee bean; coffee berry

Hypernyms ("coffee" is a kind of...):

seed (a small hard fruit)

Holonyms ("coffee" is a part of...):

coffee; coffee tree (any of several small trees and shrubs native to the tropical Old World yielding coffee beans)

Holonyms ("coffee" is a substance of...):

coffee; java (a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A medium brown to dark-brown color

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

burnt umber; chocolate; coffee; deep brown; umber

Hypernyms ("coffee" is a kind of...):

brown; brownness (an orange of low brightness and saturation)

 Context examples 

We get hot soup, or coffee, or tea; and off we go.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The table was all laid, and just as I was about to ring Mrs. Hudson entered with the tea and coffee.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Until the day arrived on which I was to entertain my newly-found old friends, I lived principally on Dora and coffee.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

It was a nauseous mess,—ship’s coffee,—but the heat of it was revivifying.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Martin nodded that he heard,—it was a habit of nature with him to pay heed to whoever talked to him,—and poured a cup of lukewarm coffee.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Scientists have found that people who drink coffee appear to live longer.

(Drink Coffee for a Longer Life, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

His cowardly rages made them dread a shot in the back or poison in their coffee.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Dimly they saw him through the smoke of the powder, and in the silence nothing was to be heard save the drip-drip of Dutchy's spilled coffee on the floor.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

He chuckled as he poured out the coffee.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Lucy Parr, who had brought in the coffee, had, I am sure, left the room; but I cannot swear that the door was closed.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)