coffee urn
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A coffee urn is a large, often metal, container with a tap, used for brewing, storing, and keeping coffee hot, typically for serving a large number of people.
Usage
A coffee urn is used in settings where coffee needs to be served continuously and kept at a drinkable temperature for an extended period. It is common in offices, events, cafeterias, and communal spaces.
Examples
- The conference organizer set up a coffee urn in the lobby for the attendees.
- Please refill the coffee urn; it's almost empty.
- The old silver coffee urn was a staple at the church social.
Advanced Usage
- "To man the coffee urn": To be responsible for serving coffee from or maintaining the coffee urn.
- Volunteers are needed to man the coffee urn during the breakfast shift.
- The term can be used metonymically to represent the provision of coffee or a casual gathering point.
- Most of the interesting conversations happened around the coffee urn.
Variants and Related Words
- Urn: A general term for a vase with a foot and usually a rounded body, or a large metal container with a tap used for serving a hot beverage.
- Samovar: A Russian urn used to boil water for tea, structurally similar but for a different beverage.
- Percolator: A type of coffeepot that brews coffee by cycling boiling water through coffee grounds. A coffee urn may use a percolation system.
Synonyms
- Coffee dispenser
- Hot beverage urn (more general)
- Coffee server
Antonyms
- Coffee cup (a single serving vessel)
- French press (a small-batch brewing device)
- Single-serve coffee maker
Related Phrases
- Coffee station: An area where coffee, a coffee urn, cups, and condiments are set up for self-service.
- Help yourself at the coffee station in the corner.
- To tap the urn: To draw coffee from the urn's spigot.
- He tapped the urn and filled his mug.
Noun
- an urn in which coffee is made and kept hot