Definition of "coffee" []

• Any of various tropical African shrubs or trees of the genus Coffea, especially C. arabica, widely cultivated in the tropics for their seeds that are dried, roasted, and ground to prepare a stimulating aromatic drink. (noun)
• The beanlike seeds of this plant, enclosed within a pulpy fruit. (noun)
• The beverage prepared from the seeds of this plant. (noun)
• A moderate brown to dark brown or dark grayish brown. (noun)
• An informal social gathering at which coffee and other refreshments are served. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Water left in the tea-kettle over night _must never be used for preparing the breakfast coffee_; no matter how excellent your coffee or tea may be, it will be ruined by the addition of water that has been boiled more than once."
• "The coffee, and eggs, and bread and butter, which they had early in the morning, was not called _breakfast_; it was called simply _coffee_."
• "˜coffee™ analogy to illustrate this: even if a reliable coffee machine were independently valuable, it would not thereby confer additional value on a good cup of coffee."