— coffeehouser , n.
/kaw"fee hows', kof"ee-/ , n. , pl. coffeehouses /-how'ziz/ , v. , coffeehoused, coffeehousing .
n.
1. a public place that specializes in serving coffee and other refreshments and that sometimes provides informal entertainment.
2. (in 17th- and 18th-century England) a similar establishment where groups met for a particular purpose, as for informal discussions or card playing.
v.i.
3. Informal. to engage in aimless talk or chitchat.
4. Cards. to make remarks and gestures during play with the purpose of misleading opponents as to the cards one holds.
[ 1605-15; COFFEE + HOUSE ]