Word Net
zarf n : an ornamental metal cup-shaped holder for a hot coffee cupEnglish
Etymology
From zarf < ẓarf, "container"Noun
- an ornamental container designed to hold a coffee cup and insulate it from the hand of the imbiber
Albanian
Etymology
From zarf < ẓarf, "container"Noun
zarf g AlbanianTurkish
Noun
- adverb (lexical category)
A Zarf is a holder, usually of ornamental metal,
for a coffee cup without a handle.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/zarf
Although coffee was probably discovered in
Ethiopia,
it was in Turkey at around the
13th
century that it became popular as a beverage. As with the
serving of
tea in China and Japan, the serving of
coffee in Turkey was a complex, ritualised process. It was served
in small cups without handles, which were placed in holders known
as zarf (from the Arabic
word, meaning container, envelope) to protect the cup and also the
fingers of the drinker from the hot fluid. Cups were typically made
of porcelain, but also
of glass and wood, however since it was the holder that was more
visible, it was typically more heavily ornamented.
Styles
The zarf was often made from metal, with silver, gold, copper and brass being the most common materials used. Others were also made of woods such as coconut, ebony or other hardwoods, or of ivory, bone, horn or tortoiseshell.Metal zarf were sometimes filigree work,
sometimes decorated with chasing,
niello, engraving, or set with gems or
other precious stones.
Wooden zarf, very few of which remain, were
favoured because of the natural aroma of the wood from which they
were fashioned. They were very fragile, but also very
beautiful.
Tortoiseshell, horn and ivory zarf required
special skill to make. In the first two cases, sheets of the
material in question were softened in hot water and then clamped in
a mold to
create the required shape. Ivory was carved in the same way as
wood; however, its greater value meant that more care was needed to
avoid mistakes.
The US Navy also has an item, usually made in the
on-base metal shops that is bolted to bulkheads and consoles to
hold coffee cups. The Navy zarf is very plain and
utilitarian.
On 28 May 1997, the American National
Security Agency declassified the codeword ZARF. It referred to
an Air
Force tiger team
project that tested Multics security in
1973.