A public place where coffee and light refreshments are served, historically important as a gathering spot for social discussion and ideas.
From 'coffee' (from Arabic 'qahwah') combined with 'house.' The first European coffeehouses opened in Venice and Istanbul in the 1600s.
The coffeehouse was essentially the original 'social media'—they were called 'penny universities' in England because for the price of a coffee, ordinary people could sit and discuss ideas with intellectuals and hear the latest news.
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