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| Word | Definition |
| caballine | of, like or pertaining to or suited to a horse |
| cabas | woman's work basket or handbag |
| cabasset | light iron helmet |
| cable | heavy rope or chain for mooring a ship |
| caboched | heraldic animal shown in full face with no neck or body |
| cabochon | highly polished convex gem |
| caboose | kitchen on the deck of a ship |
| cabotage | shipping and sailing between points in the same country |
| cabré | flying upside down with tail down |
| cabrie | a pronghorn |
| cabrilla | Atlantic sea bass |
| cabriole | curved furniture leg ending in a ball; exuberant dance or caper |
| cabriolet | two-wheeled carriage |
| cacaesthesia | morbid sensation |
| cachaemic | having diseased or poisoned blood |
| cachalot | sperm whale |
| cachalot | large whale with teeth in the lower jaw |
| cachepot | ornamental container used to conceal a flowerpot |
| cachet | a seal of approval; a mark of prestige |
| cachexic | having an unhealthy physical or mental state |
| cachinnate | to laugh loudly and inappropriately |
| cacidrosis | smelly sweat |
| cack | rubbish; worthless nonsense |
| cacodemomania | pathological belief that one is inhabited by an evil spirit |
| cacodoxy | bad doctrine or wrong opinion |
| cacoepy | poor or wrong pronunciation |
| cacoethes | insatiable desire or mania; bad habit |
| cacogen | antisocial person |
| cacogenics | study of racial degeneration |
| cacography | bad handwriting or spelling |
| cacolet | military mule litter |
| cacology | bad choice of words or faulty pronunciation |
| cacomistle | raccoon-like animal of the American southwest |
| caconym | wrongly derived name |
| cacotopia | a state in which everything is as bad as it can be |
| cacuminal | retroflex, pertaining to a point, crown, top or peak |
| cadastre | record of ownership and value of property |
| caddis | worsted yarn |
| cadge | to beg or sponge from another |
| cadilesker | chief judge in the Turkish empire |
| cadrans | instrument by which a gem is adjusted while being cut |
| caducary | passing or expiring due to lapse or forfeit |
| caduceator | herald; messenger |
| caducity | being of a transitory or impermanent nature |
| caecity | blindness |
| caenogenesis | process of growth in individual not common in its species |
| caesaropapism | control of the church by a secular ruler |
| caesious | bluish or greyish green |
| caespitose | growing in clusters or tufts |
| caesura | natural breathing space in a line of verse |
| caesura | vertical line in a text used to indicate a pause or prosodic break |
| cafard | depression; the blues |
| caffoy | velvety fabric |
| cagamosis | unhappy marriage |
| cagoule | lightweight waterproof hooded garment |
| caiman | small alligator-like reptile |
| cairngorm | yellow-brown quartz |
| caisson | vehicle or chest for holding ammunition |
| caitiff | base; cowardly; despicable |
| cakewalk | prancing stage dance with backward tilt |
| calamanco | satin twilled woollen fabric |
| calamist | piper; one who plays using a reed |
| calamus | quill or reed used as a pen |
| calando | slowing with gradually lowering volume |
| calandra | thick-bodied Mediterranean lark |
| calash | light low-wheeled carriage with folding top |
| calathiform | cup-shaped |
| calathus | fruit basket carried on the head |
| calcar | furnace or oven for annealing |
| calcariferous | having or bearing spurs |
| calcariform | spur-shaped |
| calceate | to shoe |
| calceiform | shaped like a slipper |
| calciferous | bearing lime |
| calciform | pebble-shaped |
| calcifuge | plant that will not tolerate limy soil |
| calcimine | to whitewash |
| calcine | to burn so as to drive out water and carbon dioxide |
| calcivorous | feeding on or living in limestone |
| calcographer | one who draws with crayons or pastels |
| calefacient | warming; anything that warms |
| calefactory | a monastery sitting room |
| calender | machine with rollers which presses paper or cloth |
| calenture | tropical fever due to heat exposure |
| calesa | small two-wheeled horse-drawn buggy |
| calescence | increase in heat |
| calico | plain white cotton |
| calicular | like a chalice or cup |
| caliginous | misty; dark; dim; obscure |
| caliology | study of bird's nests |
| calipace | turtle's carapace |
| calix | cup; chalice |
| calk | pointed piece on a horseshoe to prevent slipping |
| callant | boy; fellow |
| calligram | design using the letters of a word |
| callipygous | having beautiful buttocks |
| callisteia | awards given for beauty |
| callithump | boisterous and noisy parade |
| callow | unfledged; inexperienced |
| calodemon | good or beneficial spirit |
| calorifacient | producing or generating heat |
| calorifics | study of heat |
| calorimeter | instrument for measuring absorbed or evolved heat |
| calotte | Roman Catholic skullcap |
| calque | word or expression introduced into a language by literally translating it |
| calumet | ornamented ceremonial pipe |
| calumniate | to slander; misrepresent; besmirch |
| calumny | vile misrepresentation |
| calvary | experience of intense mental suffering |
| calver | to prepare fish while alive or freshly caught |
| calvities | baldness |
| calvous | bald |
| calycine | of, like or pertaining to a cup or calyx |
| calyx | outer covering of a flower |
| camaca | fine silk fabric |
| camaïeu | monotonous or uninteresting play or literary work |
| camail | chainmail armour for the neck and shoulders |
| caman | shinty stick |
| camarilla | secret society of favourites of the king |
| camber | slight arch or convexity to a beam or deck of a ship |
| cambist | person skilled in the science of financial exchange |
| cambistry | science of international exchange |
| cambium | soft tissue found in trees |
| cambresine | fine linen fabric |
| cambric | fine thin white cotton or linen fabric |
| cameline | of, like or pertaining to camels |
| camelious | jocular term describing camel's hump |
| camelopard | giraffe |
| camelot | newspaper vendor |
| camelry | troops mounted on camels |
| cameralism | mercantilism designed to increase a ruler's power |
| camerated | divided into separate chambers |
| cameriere | waiter or valet |
| camerlengo | papal treasurer |
| camisade | night attack |
| camisole | straitjacket used for unruly prisoners |
| camlet | strong waterproof silk or wool fabric |
| camorra | group united for nefarious or traitorous ends |
| camouflet | mine used to destroy underground enemy emplacement |
| campagnol | short-tailed field mouse |
| campaniform | bell-shaped |
| campanile | freestanding bell tower on church property |
| campanology | the art of bell ringing |
| campanulate | shaped like a bell |
| campestral | of, like or pertaining to the country; pertaining to level ground |
| camsteary | perverse; unruly |
| canaille | riffraff; proletarian; the mob; rabble |
| canaliculate | grooved or channelled lengthwise |
| canard | false rumour; hoax |
| canary | lively Renaissance courtly dance |
| cancellarial | of, like or pertaining to a chancellor |
| cancellous | having a porous structure |
| cancerophobia | fear of cancer |
| cancriform | shaped like a crab |
| cancrine | of, like or pertaining to crabs; palindromic |
| cancrizans | moving backwards; repeating a musical theme backwards |
| candela | unit of luminous intensity |
| candent | heated to whiteness |
| candescent | glowing hotly |
| canephor | sculpted figure carrying a basket on the head |
| canescent | hoary; tending to become white or grey |
| caneva | fancy woollen fabric made to resemble canvas |
| canezou | woman's garment like a blouse |
| cang | wooden yoke hung around a criminal's neck |
| canicide | killer of a dog |
| canicular | of, like or pertaining to the dog star |
| canities | whiteness of the hair |
| cannel | bevel on the edge of a chisel |
| cannelure | groove or fluting |
| cannikin | small can or drinking vessel |
| cannonade | an attack with heavy artillery |
| cannonarchy | government by superior firepower or by cannons |
| cannular | hollow or tube-shaped |
| canoness | woman living in a community under a religious rule |
| canonicate | the rank or office of a cannon |
| canophilia | love or fondness for dogs |
| canopus | vase for holding dead individual's inner organs |
| canorous | musical; singing; resonant |
| canque | Chinese cotton fabric |
| cantabank | strolling singer; second-rate musician |
| cantative | of, like or pertaining to singing |
| cantatrice | female singer |
| canter | person who makes hypocritical or affected statements |
| canterbury | stand with divisions for holding books or music |
| canthus | angle between eyelids at the corner of the eye |
| canticle | short holy song or sung prayer |
| cantillate | to chant or intone |
| cantle | corner, edge or slice of anything |
| canton | dexter chief region of a heraldic field |
| cantonment | small military town |
| cantorial | located on the north side of the choir in a church |
| canzone | instrumental work that is melodious or song-like |
| caparison | ornamented covering for a horse |
| caparison | armour for a horse |
| capeline | surgical bandage for the stump of amputated limb; small iron skullcap |
| capelocracy | government by shopkeepers |
| capias | writ authorizing the arrest of a person |
| capillaceous | hairlike |
| capilotade | stewed meat dish |
| capistrate | hooded |
| capitalism | doctrine that private ownership and free markets should govern economies |
| capitation | numbering of individuals; head tax |
| capitulary | of, like or pertaining to a chapter of an organization |
| caple | a horse |
| capnomancy | divination by means of smoke |
| caponier | covered passage across a moat or ditch |
| capreolate | having or resembling tentacles |
| capric | having a goatlike smell; of, like or pertaining to goats |
| caprifoliaceous | of, like or pertaining to the honeysuckle plant |
| capriform | goatlike |
| caprine | of, like or pertaining to goats |
| capriole | leap and kick performed by a trained horse |
| capripede | satyr |
| capruncle | earthen vessel |
| capstan | upright device for winding in heavy ropes or cables |
| captation | attempt to obtain applause or recognition |
| captious | peevish; ready to take offence or find fault |
| capuchin | pointed hooded cloak worn by friars |
| capybara | tailless aquatic rodent of South America |
| caracal | long-legged nocturnal cat of African and Asian savannahs with long ears |
| caracara | long-legged South American falcon |
| caracole | spiral staircase; a half turn by a trained horse |
| caravanserai | inn or rest station for caravans |
| carbasus | lint or gauze |
| carboniferous | bearing carbon |
| carboy | large green bottle encased in wicker |
| carbuncle | architectural monstrosity or eyesore; red precious stone |
| carcanet | ornamental necklace, collar or headband |
| carcelage | prison fees |
| carceral | of, like or pertaining to prisons |
| carcinology | study of crabs and other crustaceans |
| cardialgia | heartburn |
| cardimelech | supposed vital force causing heart to work |
| cardinal | deep scarlet red colour |
| cardinalitial | of, like or pertaining to church cardinals |
| cardiognost | one who knows the workings of the heart |
| cardiograph | instrument for recording movements of the heart |
| cardioid | heart-shaped |
| cardophagus | donkey; something that eats thistles |
| careen | to turn a ship on its side in order to clean or repair it |
| caret | mark used to note an omission |
| carfax | place where four roads meet; intersection of roads at center of a town |
| carferal | compound of carbon, iron and aluminum |
| caricology | study of sedges |
| caricous | of, like or pertaining to figs |
| carillon | set of bells of different sizes |
| carinated | shaped like the prow or keel of a ship |
| cariniform | keel-shaped |
| carioca | variation of the samba |
| cariogenic | causing dental cavities |
| cariole | light open carriage |
| carious | of, like or pertaining to dental cavities; decayed |
| caritative | generous; charitable |
| caritive | indicating lack of something |
| carking | imposing great hardship or strain |
| carminative | expelling, causing or relieving flatulence |
| carnaptious | bad-tempered; cantankerous |
| carnassial | specially adapted for eating flesh |
| carneous | fleshy; flesh-coloured; like or pertaining to flesh |
| carnet | customs or other permit; book of coupons |
| carniferous | bearing flesh; fleshy |
| carnifex | executioner |
| carnification | conversion into flesh |
| carnificial | of, like or pertaining to butchers or executioners |
| carnificine | place of execution; office of the executioner |
| carnose | fleshy; of or like flesh |
| caroche | stately carriage used on ceremonial occasions |
| carpal | of, like or pertaining to the wrist |
| carphology | fitful plucking movements as in delirium |
| carpogenous | producing or bearing fruit |
| carpology | study of fruit |
| carpophagous | fruit-eating |
| carrack | galleon |
| carriwitchet | a quip or quibble; a pun; a conundrum |
| carronade | short and light maritime cannon |
| cartiliginous | like or composed of cartilage |
| cartomancy | telling fortunes using playing cards |
| cartophily | the hobby of collecting cigarette cards |
| cartouche | oval- or scroll-shaped ornamentation on monument or tomb |
| cartulary | keeper of monastic records |
| carucate | as much land as a team of oxen ploughs in a season |
| caruncle | any fleshy growth on the body |
| caryatid | column shaped like female figure |
| cascabel | part behind the base-ring of a cannon |
| caschrom | spade with bent handle for tilling soil |
| casefy | to become or make cheese-like |
| casemate | bombproof chamber or armored compartment |
| caseous | cheese-like |
| casern | barrack or billet for soldiers |
| cashmere | soft twilled fabric made of fine goat's wool |
| cashmerette | soft imitation of cashmere |
| casque | helmet |
| casquet | light open-faced helmet |
| casquetel | light steel helmet with no visor |
| cassation | annulment; overthrow of legal decision |
| cassideous | helmet-shaped |
| cassimere | closely woven twilled cloth of fine wool |
| cassock | close-fitting ankle-length clergyman's garment |
| cassowary | large flightless Melanesian bird |
| castaneous | chestnut-coloured |
| castellan | governor of castle or fortification |
| castellar | of, like or pertaining to a castle |
| castellated | having battlements or turrets |
| castophrenia | belief that one's thoughts are being stolen |
| castory | brown colour; brown dye derived from beaver pelts |
| castral | of or belonging to the camp |
| castrametation | the art of designing a camp |
| casualism | the belief that chance governs all things |
| casuistry | plausible but flawed moral reasoning |
| catabaptism | belief in the wrongness of infant baptism |
| catabasis | the decline of a disease in a population |
| catachresis | incorrect usage of a word |
| catachthonian | underground; subterranean |
| cataclasm | disruption; breaking down |
| catacoustics | science of echoes or reflected sounds |
| catadioptric | employing both reflection and refraction of light |
| catadromous | migrating from fresh to salt water to spawn |
| catafalque | temporary tomb used in funerals and processions |
| catalactic | of, like or pertaining to exchange |
| catalactics | science of commercial exchange |
| catalectic | incomplete; missing final syllable |
| catamite | boy kept for homosexual purposes |
| catamount | any wild species of mountain lion or large cat |
| catapedamania | obsession with jumping from high places |
| cataphract | suit of mail; soldier in full armour; armoured ship |
| cataphysical | unnatural |
| cataplasm | plaster or poultice |
| cataplexy | condition feigning death used by animals |
| catarolysis | letting off steam by cursing |
| catarrhine | of, like or pertaining to Old World Monkeys |
| catasta | scaffold or stage for torture or selling slaves |
| catastaltic | astringent |
| catastasis | introductory part of speech where narrator introduces subject |
| catastasis | part of drama with highest action; climax |
| catastrophism | belief in rapid geological and biological change |
| catchpole | constable; sheriff's officer |
| catechectics | the art of teaching by question and answer |
| catechumen | one undergoing instruction prior to conversion to Christianity |
| catena | series, chain or sequence |
| catenarian | of, like or pertaining to chains |
| catenate | to connect as in or by a chain |
| catenular | chain-like |
| cateran | a Scottish military irregular or brigand |
| cathead | projection near the bow of a ship to which anchor is secured |
| cathedra | chair or throne of office for a bishop or other high official |
| cathetometer | instrument for measuring short vertical distances |
| cathexis | investment of emotional energy in a thought or idea |
| cathisma | short hymn used as response |
| cathisophobia | fear of sitting |
| catholicon | cure-all; panacea |
| catholicos | primate of Armenian or Nestorian church |
| catogenic | formed from above |
| catoptric | of, like or pertaining to reflection or reflected light |
| catoptromancy | divination by examining mirror placed underwater |
| caudal | of, like or pertaining to the tail |
| caudiform | tail-like; tail-shaped |
| caudle | warm drink given to the sick |
| caul | net or similar covering for the head; afterbirth |
| cauliform | shaped like or resembling a stem |
| cauligenous | originating on the stem of a plant |
| caulotaxy | disposition and location of branches on a stem |
| cauponate | to engage in questionable trade for the sake of gain |
| causative | indicating causation by |
| causerie | chat or gossip; short and informal essay |
| causidical | of, like or pertaining to those who plead legal cases |
| causimancy | divination by means of fire |
| cautelous | treacherous; cunning; wily; cautious |
| cavaquinho | four-stringed Brazilian ukulele |
| cavatina | short operatic air |
| cavernicolous | cave-dwelling |
| caverniloquy | cavernous voice of a patient heard over a patient's lung cavity |
| cavernulous | full of small cavities or holes |
| cavesson | noseband for a horse |
| cavicorn | hollow-horned |
| cavil | to raise trivial and frivolous objections |
| cebocephalic | having a head shaped like a monkey's |
| cecils | minced meat made into balls and fried |
| cecity | blindness |
| cecutiency | a tendency toward blindness |
| cedilla | mark placed under letter c to indicate pronunciation as s |
| cedrate | citron |
| ceilometer | instrument for measuring height of cloud ceiling above earth |
| celadon | pale green; pale green glazed pottery |
| celation | concealment |
| celesta | keyboard instrument with hammers that strike on steel plates |
| celeste | sky blue |
| celidography | descriptions of markings on the sun, a planet or moon |
| cella | inner chamber of a classical temple |
| cellarer | monastery official in charge of provisions |
| cellaret | case or drawer for holding wine bottles |
| celliferous | bearing cells |
| celluliferous | bearing little cells |
| celsitude | loftiness |
| celt | prehistoric bevelled-edge axe |
| celtuce | lettuce with an edible stalk |
| cementatory | having the quality of binding or uniting firmly |
| cementum | hard tissue covering roots of teeth |
| cenacle | meeting or dining room; group with common interests |
| cenacle | room where the Last Supper was eaten |
| cenatory | of, like or pertaining to supper |
| cendal | silk fabric resembling taffeta |
| ceneromancy | divination using ashes |
| cenobite | monk; member of religious group |
| cenoby | monastery or convent |
| cenophobia | fear of empty spaces |
| cenote | deep natural well |
| censer | vessel for burning incense in religious rituals |
| centesimal | counting or counted by hundreds or hundredths |
| centiloquy | work consisting of one hundred aphorisms, attributed to Ptolemy |
| centner | old unit of weight equal to about 110 pounds |
| cento | patchwork composition; collection of short quotations |
| centrobaric | of, like or pertaining to the centre of gravity |
| centuple | hundred-fold |
| cep | brown edible mushroom |
| cepaceous | smelling or tasting of garlic or onion |
| cephalate | having a head |
| cephaligation | placing of major organs and bodily functions in the head |
| cephalonomancy | divination by boiling an ass head |
| cephalophore | decapitated saint depicted with head tucked under arm |
| cephalopod | creature with tentacles or limbs attached to head |
| cepivorous | onion-eating |
| ceraceous | resembling wax |
| ceramography | historical description of types of pottery |
| cerated | covered with wax |
| ceratoid | shaped like a horn; horny |
| ceraunograph | instrument for recording thunder and lightning |
| ceraunomancy | divination using thunderbolts |
| ceraunoscopy | divination using lightning |
| cerberic | vigilant; dragon-like; like Cerberus |
| cercopithecan | of, like or pertaining to long-tailed monkeys |
| cercus | tail-like appendage |
| cerebration | unconscious action of the brain |
| cerements | clothes placed on a deceased individual |
| cerge | large wax candle burned before the altar |
| ceriferous | producing wax |
| cerise | bright reddish-pink |
| cernuous | drooping or hanging |
| cerography | writing or printing on plates spread with wax |
| ceromancy | divination by means of wax drippings |
| ceroscopy | divination using wax |
| certes | in truth; certainly |
| cerulean | sky-blue; dark blue |
| cerumen | ear wax |
| ceruminiferous | bearing or yielding ear wax |
| cervelat | short bassoon-like instrument |
| cervelat | smoked pork sausage |
| cervelliere | steel cap worn under a great helm |
| cervicide | killing of a deer |
| cervicorn | branching like antlers |
| cervine | of, pertaining to or resembling deer, elk or moose |
| cervisial | of, like or pertaining or pertaining to beer |
| cesious | bluish-grey |
| cespitous | composed of or resembling turf |
| cessionary | someone to which something is ceded |
| cetacean | type of aquatic mammal, including whales and dolphins |
| cete | collective name for a group of badgers |
| ceticide | killing of whales and other cetaceans |
| cetology | study of whales and dolphins |
| cevesaile | ornamental corner of a coat |
| chabouk | horse-whip |
| chaconne | Spanish baroque dance in triple time |
| chad | bits of paper punched out of paper tape or cards |
| chaetiferous | bearing bristles; bristly |
| chaetophorous | in need of a shave |
| chaffer | to bargain or haggle |
| chain | unit of length equal to 22 yards |
| chaise | light open carriage for one or two people |
| chalastic | laxative |
| chalcography | the art of engraving on copper or brass |
| chalcotriptics | art of taking rubbings from ornamental brasses |
| chaldron | old unit of dry volume equal to between 32 and 72 bushels |
| challis | soft lightweight silk, wool or cotton fabric |
| chalypsography | art of engraving on steel |
| chambranle | decoration around a door frame or fireplace |
| chambray | lightweight fabric with coloured warp and white filling |
| chambré | wine kept at room temperature |
| chamfer | to channel or make furrows upon; to bevel |
| chamfrain | piece of leather to protect a war horse's face |
| chamois | cotton fabric made in imitation of chamois leather |
| chamois | goatlike antelope of mountainous regions of Europe |
| champaign | level countryside or plain |
| champerty | illegal contract to finance a lawsuit for a percentage fee |
| chancel | part of church containing altar and seats for choir |
| chancery | church office dealing with legal matters and archives |
| chandelle | sharp upward turn in aviation |
| chantage | blackmail to prevent exposure of scandalous facts |
| chanter | part of bagpipes on which the melody is played |
| chanticleer | a rooster |
| chantry | chapel or altar built for prayers for its benefactor's soul |
| chaology | the study of chaos or chaos theory |
| chaomancy | divination by examining phenomena of the air |
| chapbook | small independently produced popular book |
| chaplet | circlet or wreath for the head; short string of prayer beads |
| chaptalize | to add extra sugar to wine to raise alcohol content |
| charabanc | open tourist coach |
| characterology | study of development of character |
| charientism | expression of an unpleasant thing in an agreeable manner; euphemism |
| charivari | cacophonous mock-serenade performed for wedding |
| chark | to burn wood to charcoal |
| Charleston | fast-paced 1920s dance characterized by energetic kicking |
| charmante | silk fabric with a crepe back |
| charmeuse | soft and satiny silk fabric |
| charnel | room where corpses are placed |
| charnel | hinge of a helmet for the visor |
| charpie | shredded lint used to dress wounds |
| chartaceous | papery |
| charterhouse | Carthusian monastic building |
| chartreuse | yellow-green colour |
| chary | discreetly cautious or sparing |
| chasmogamy | opening of a flower in order to be fertilized |
| chasmophile | lover of nooks and crannies |
| chasmophilous | fond of nooks, crevices and crannies |
| chasseur | hunter; liveried hotel attendant |
| chasuble | sleeveless ecclesiastical garment |
| chatelaine | female castle owner, manager or caretaker |
| chatelaine | ring attached to belt for carrying keys |
| chaton | setting or stone of a finger-ring |
| chatoyant | with a changing lustre; iridescent |
| chauffer | small furnace |
| chausses | mail coverings for the lower legs and feet |
| chaussures | general name for boots and shoes; footwear |
| chawdron | entrails |
| cheiloplasty | plastic surgery on the lip |
| cheiloproclitic | attracted to lips |
| cheliferous | bearing pincers or claws |
| cheliform | shaped like a pincer |
| chelonian | of, like or pertaining to tortoises or turtles |
| chenille | velvety silk, wool or cotton fabric with protruding pile |
| chernozem | black earth typically found in cool grassland climates |
| chersonese | peninsula |
| chesil | gravel |
| chessel | cheese-mould |
| chevalet | bridge of a stringed instrument |
| chevaline | horse meat |
| chevaster | double bandage for supporting chin in case of broken jaw |
| chevelure | nebulous part of a comet |
| cheverel | soft; flexible kidskin leather |
| chevet | east end of a church |
| cheville | unnecessary word used to extend line of verse |
| cheviot | coarse heavy plain or twilled wool or worsted |
| chevisance | resource; achievement; gain |
| chevon | goat flesh |
| chevrotain | small deer-like mammal |
| chevrotain | small cloven-footed deerlike animal of southeast Asia |
| chiaroscuro | juxtaposition of light and shade in artwork or literature |
| chiasmus | contrast by parallelism in reverse order |
| chicanery | clever but misleading talk; deception |
| chiffon | sheer silk fabric |
| chiffonier | chest of drawers |
| chignon | knot or roll of hair worn at the back of the head |
| chilgoza | edible pine seed |
| chiliad | one thousand |
| chiliahedron | one-thousand sided solid figure |
| chiliarchy | government by one thousand people |
| chiliasm | belief that Jesus will reign on Earth for a thousand years |
| chiliastic | millenarian |
| chiliomb | sacrifice of one thousand animals |
| chilopod | multi-legged insect |
| chimere | loose sleeveless robes worn by Anglican bishops |
| chimerical | imaginary; fanciful |
| chiminage | toll paid for going through a forest |
| chinamania | obsession with collecting china |
| chine | backbone and adjoining flesh of an animal |
| chine | the intersection of the middle and sides of a boat |
| chino | strong twilled cotton cloth |
| chintz | glazed printed cotton fabric |
| chionablepsia | snow blindness |
| chiral | of, like or pertaining to the hand or handedness |
| chirality | chemical property of structural handedness |
| chirapsia | massage |
| chirk | cheer |
| chirm | collective term for goldfinches |
| chirocosmetics | beautifying the hands; art of manicure |
| chirocracy | government by physical force |
| chirognomy | divination by studying the hands |
| chirograph | written or signed document |
| chirography | study of handwriting or penmanship |
| chirogymnast | finger exercise machine for pianists |
| chirology | study of the hands |
| chiromancy | divination by means of palmistry |
| chironomy | gesticulation or mime |
| chiropody | medical science of feet |
| chiropractic | treatment of disorders of the locomotor system and spinal column |
| chiropterophilous | pollinated or frequented by bats |
| chirosophy | knowledge of palm-reading |
| chirospasm | writer's cramp |
| chirotony | election by a show of hands |
| chiru | straight-horned Tibetan antelope |
| chital | Indian spotted deer |
| chitarrone | long double-necked lute |
| chlamydate | having a mantle or hood |
| chlamys | horseman's loose cloak |
| chlorochrous | green-coloured |
| chlorometer | instrument for measuring amount of chlorine in a solution |
| choanoid | shaped like a funnel |
| chock | metal casting with curved arms for passing ropes for mooring ship |
| choga | loose Afghan dressing-gown |
| cholelithiasis | production of gall stones |
| choliamb | verse with an iambus in the fifth place and a spondee in the sixth |
| cholic | of, like or pertaining to bile |
| choller | double chin |
| chololith | gall stone |
| chômage | work stoppage or slump |
| chondrogenesis | production of cartilage |
| chondroid | like or resembling cartilage |
| choragus | leader of a choir or organizer of musical festivals |
| chordee | painful, downward-curving erection of the penis |
| choreomania | dancing mania or frenzy |
| chorepiscopal | of, like or pertaining to an early local bishop |
| choreutic | of, like or pertaining to a chorus |
| chorisis | multiplication of parts by branching or splitting |
| chorizont | one who disputes identity of authorship |
| chorographer | one who maps or describes a region |
| chorography | written work or treatise on a region or district |
| chorology | science of the geographic description of anything |
| chorometry | land surveying |
| chouse | to cheat; to swindle |
| chrematistic | of, like or pertaining to the pursuit of wealth or to business |
| chrematistics | the study of wealth; political economy |
| chrematophobia | fear of money |
| chreotechnics | useful or practical trades or arts |
| chrestomathic | of, like or pertaining to useful knowledge |
| chrestomathy | anthology of passages used in learning languages |
| chrism | consecrated or holy oil |
| chrismation | sacrament of baptism in Eastern churches |
| chrismatory | vessel for holding holy oil |
| chrisom | white robe put on newly baptised child |
| chrisomalis | the loser who wrote this damn list |
| Christolatry | worship of Christ |
| christophany | appearance of Christ to men |
| chromatism | presence of abnormal coloration |
| chromatocracy | government by rulers of a particular skin colour |
| chromatograph | instrument for performing chromatographic separations |
| chromatoptometer | instrument measuring eyes' sensitivity to colour |
| chromolithography | art of printing in colour using stone |
| chromophilous | staining easily |
| chromoxylography | art of printing in colour using wood |
| chronobiology | study of biological rhythms |
| chronogram | inscription whose letters form a Roman numeral date |
| chronograph | instrument for recording the moment of an event |
| chronography | writing or written work describing chronological events |
| chronomancy | divination by means of time |
| chronopher | electrical instrument for transmitting time signals |
| chronoscope | instrument for measuring very short time intervals |
| chronostichon | chronogrammatic line or stanza |
| chronosynchronicity | presentation of all stages of a person's life in a single piece of art |
| chryselephantine | inlaid with gold and ivory |
| chrysoaristocracy | government by the wealthy; plutocracy |
| chrysochlorous | greenish-gold |
| chrysocracy | government by the wealthy; plutocracy |
| chrysography | writing in gold or silver letters |
| chrysology | study of precious metals |
| chrysophilist | gold-lover |
| chrysopoetics | transmutation of substances into gold |
| chrystocrene | rock formation resembling glacier |
| chthonian | of, like or pertaining to the earth or the underworld |
| chthonography | written description of soils |
| chthonophagia | eating dirt |
| chuckwalla | herbivorous desert-dwelling lizard |
| churching | church ceremony given to women after childbirth |
| churchism | devotion to church rules over religious precepts |
| chyle | milky fluid secreted into blood by small intestine |
| chyliferous | bearing chyle |
| chyme | partially digested food |
| chymiferous | bearing chyme |
| chypre | mixture of resins used in making perfume |
| cibarious | of, like or pertaining to food; useful for food |
| cibation | taking food; feeding |
| cibophobia | fear of or distaste for food |
| ciborium | freestanding canopy to cover altar; vessel for holding eucharistic bread |
| cicatrization | scarification; production of marks upon |
| cicerone | guide; tour guide |
| cicisbeo | male companion of a married woman |
| ciconine | of, like or pertaining to storks |
| cienega | marsh or swamp |
| cilice | haircloth shirt worn as penance |
| cillosis | spasm or twitch in the upper eyelid |
| cimelia | treasures in storage |
| cimeliarch | church vestry or treasury |
| cimex | bedbug |
| cimicide | substance used to kill bed-bugs |
| cimier | crest of helmet; removable heraldic device or favour of courtly love |
| cincture | to gird or surround; belt worn around ecclesiastical vestment |
| cineast | one who takes artistic interest in motion pictures |
| cinerarium | container for cremated ashes |
| cinerary | of, like or pertaining to ashes |
| cinerious | ashen; ash-grey |
| cingular | shaped like a girdle or ring |
| cingulum | girdle or girdle-like structure; priest's belt |
| cinnabar | red crystalline mercuric sulfide pigment; deep red or scarlet colour |
| cinque-pace | lively medieval dance with five steps |
| ciplinarian | one who teaches disorder |
| cipolin | white marble streaked with green |
| cippus | small column used to mark burial location |
| cippus | the stocks |
| circa | about; around |
| circadian | occurring every 24 hours |
| circinate | ring-shaped; rolled inwards; spiralling |
| circiter | about; around |
| circuity | motion in a roundabout course |
| circumambagious | roundabout in speech |
| circumambient | going round about; encompassing |
| circumaviate | to fly around |
| circumbendibus | a roundabout way or expression |
| circumcrescent | growing around; above or over |
| circumduct | to cause to revolve around an imaginary axis |
| circumflex | accent mark placed above vowel to indicate sound change |
| circumforaneous | wandering about as from market to market |
| circumforentor | surveyor's instrument used to measure angles |
| circumfulgent | shining about or around |
| circumfuse | to pour around or about |
| circumincession | the reciprocal existence of three parts of the Trinity in each other |
| circumjacent | bordering on every side |
| circumlittoral | around or near the shore |
| circumpose | to place around |
| circumvallate | to surround with a rampart or fortification |
| circumvolution | anything winding or sinuous |
| cire | fabric with a glazed finish |
| cirrate | having tendrils |
| cirriped | barnacle or other parasitic crustacean |
| ciselure | the art of chasing metal |
| cismarine | on this or the near side of the ocean |
| cismontane | on this or the near side of the mountains |
| cispontine | on this or the near side of a bridge |
| cist | tomb consisting of stone chest covered with stone slabs |
| cisvestism | wearing strange or inappropriate clothes |
| cithara | ancient Greek musical instrument like a lyre |
| citigrade | moving quickly |
| citreous | lemon-coloured; lemony |
| citrine | dark greenish-yellow |
| cittosis | abnormal desire for strange foods |
| civet | long-tailed catlike carnivorous mammal with musk glands |
| cladistics | taxonomic theory distinguishing by common ancestor |
| cladogenesis | origin and evolution as if branching from common ancestor |
| cladoptosis | annual shedding of twigs and branches |
| cladose | branching; branched |
| clamancy | urgency |
| clamant | loud; insistent; urgent |
| clangor | loud ringing noise or clang |
| claptrap | showy language designed to gain praise; nonsense |
| claque | group of hired applauders or sycophants |
| clarence | four-wheeled carriage |
| clarigate | to declare war formally |
| classis | a group; governing body of Reformed churches |
| clastic | able to be disassembled into its component parts |
| clatfart | idle chatter; nonsense |
| clathrate | shaped like a net or lattice |
| clathrose | marked with latticed lines or grooves |
| claudent | closing; ending; confining |
| claudication | limpness; cramp-like pain |
| claustral | cloistral; secluded; narrow-minded |
| claustration | the act of shutting in a cloister |
| claustrophobia | fear of closed spaces |
| clavate | club-shaped |
| claver | gossip |
| claviature | keyboard |
| clavichord | old keyboard stringed instrument |
| clavicylinder | square keyboard instrument whose sound produced from a glass cylinder |
| clavicymbal | old name for a harpsichord |
| claviform | in the shape of a club |
| clavigerous | club-bearing |
| clavigerous | keeping keys |
| claviole | keyed string instrument |
| clavis | key; glossary; index; legend |
| cledonism | circumlocution used to avoid speaking unlucky words |
| cleg | horse-fly |
| cleidomancy | divination using keys |
| cleithral | completely roofed over |
| clem | to starve |
| clepe | to name; to call |
| clepsydra | instrument which measures time by trickling water |
| clerestory | upper storey of a church; windows near the roof of a building |
| clerihew | jingle summing up person's life in two couplets |
| clerisy | scholars and educated people as a class |
| cleromancy | divination using dice |
| cleronomy | inheritance |
| clevis | U-shaped fastener with pin used to close the open end |
| clew | corner of sail with hole to attach ropes |
| clicket | a latch |
| clientage | the whole number of one's clients |
| climacophobia | fear of falling down stairs |
| climacteric | critical time in a person's life; any critical turning point |
| climatarchic | presiding over a climate or region of the earth |
| climatography | description of the climate of a region |
| clinamen | inclination; bias; prejudice |
| clinkstone | type of igneous rock that rings when struck |
| clinology | study of aging or individual decline after maturity |
| clinomania | excessive desire to stay in bed |
| clinometer | instrument used to measure slopes and elevations |
| clinophilia | passion for beds |
| clinophobia | fear of staying in bed |
| clinquant | tinselly; glittering |
| cliometrics | the application of statistics in economic history |
| clitellum | raised band encircling an earthworm's body |
| clithridiate | shaped like a keyhole |
| clitter | to make a shrill rattling noise |
| clivose | hilly; steep |
| cloaca | sewer; toilet; cesspool of moral filth |
| clochard | tramp; vagrant; hobo |
| cloison | partition; dividing band |
| clonic | spasmodic; occasional; irregular |
| cloque | fabric with an embossed design |
| cloture | means of ending legislative debate |
| clou | main point of interest; dominant idea |
| clough | ravine; trench; gully |
| clove | old weight of seven to ten pounds for wool or cheese |
| clowder | collective term for cats |
| clupeoid | like or resembling a herring |
| clypeate | shaped like a buckler |
| clysmian | of, like or pertaining to or caused by flood |
| clyster | enema |
| cnemial | of, like, or pertaining to the tibia (shin-bone) |
| cnemis | shin bone |
| cnicnode | point where tangents form a cone of the second order |
| cnidarian | of, like, or pertaining to invertebrates such as jellyfish and anemones |
| coacervate | to heap; to cause to mass together |
| coadjument | mutual assistance |
| coadjutor | bishop assisting a diocesan bishop and having the right of succession |
| coadunate | to unite; to combine |
| coagment | to join or cement together |
| coalize | to bring into coalition |
| coaming | raised edge around ship's hatches to keep water out |
| coaptation | joining or fitting together |
| coarctation | constriction |
| cobaltiferous | bearing cobalt |
| coburg | thin single-twilled worsted fabric with cotton or silk |
| cocarde | emblem on airplane's wing indicating its nationality |
| cocciferous | bearing or yielding berries |
| coccineous | bright red |
| cochlear | anything spiral-shaped; twisted spirally |
| cockalorum | boastful and self-important person |
| cockamamie | ridiculous; incredible |
| cocker | to pamper; to indulge |
| cocket | official shipping seal; customs clearance form |
| cockloft | small room just under the roof |
| cockshy | object of criticism or ridicule |
| cocotte | prostitute; a flirt or tease |
| coctile | baked; hardened by fire |
| codicil | supplement to a will |
| codicology | study of manuscripts |
| codling | unripe apple |
| codon | mouth of a trumpet or bell |
| codswallop | something utterly senseless; nonsense |
| coehorn | small mortar for throwing grenades |
| coelacanth | lobe-finned fish long thought to be extinct |
| coeliac | of, like or pertaining to the abdomen |
| coelom | body cavity; abdomen |
| coemption | purchase of the entire supply of a commodity |
| coenaculous | fond of dining; relishing food; especially suppers |
| coenaesthesis | sensation |
| coercimeter | instrument for measuring coercive force |
| coetaneous | of the same age; coeval |
| coeval | of the same length of time; having the same duration |
| cofferdam | narrow vacant space between two bulkheads of a ship |
| coffle | gang of slaves tied together |
| coffret | small coffer; presentation box |
| cog | single-masted, square-sailed ship with raised stern |
| cogent | convincing; compelling |
| coggage | paper |
| cogitabund | meditative; engaged in deep thought |
| cognomen | family name |
| cohibit | to restrain |
| cohobate | to redistill |
| cohyponym | word which is one of multiple hyponyms of another word |
| coif | iron skull-cap |
| coign | angle; viewpoint |
| coinstantaneous | simultaneous; at the same time |
| col | depression or pass in a mountain range |
| colation | filtration |
| coleopterology | study of beetles and weevils |
| coliform | resembling or shaped like a sieve |
| collectanea | collection of passages; miscellany |
| collectic | adhesive; sticky |
| collectivism | doctrine of communal control of means of production |
| colleger | mortar-board |
| collegialism | theory that church is independent from the state |
| colliform | shaped like or resembling a neck |
| colligation | bringing or binding together; conjunction |
| collimation | making parallel; adjusting to put into line |
| colliquation | the process of melting or wasting away |
| collocation | the placing of things together |
| collogue | to converse confidentially; to conspire with |
| colloid | jelly-like |
| colloquy | speaking together; mutual discourse |
| colluctation | strife; opposition |
| collutory | mouthwash |
| colluvies | accumulated filth; foul discharge |
| collyrium | eye lotion or ointment |
| colobus | long-tailed African monkey |
| colocolo | wild South American cat |
| colonnade | row of evenly spaced column or trees |
| colonoscope | instrument for viewing the colon |
| colophon | publisher's emblem or inscription in a book |
| colorimeter | instrument for measuring and determining color |
| colostrum | mother's first milk |
| colporteur | peddler of religious tracts and books |
| colposcope | instrument for viewing the neck of the uterus |
| colubriform | shaped like a snake |
| colubrine | like a snake; cunning; of, like or pertaining to snakes |
| colugo | flying lemur |
| columbaceous | of, like or pertaining to doves or pigeons |
| columbarium | a structure of vaults lined with recesses |
| columbine | of or like a dove; dove-coloured |
| columella | fleshy part of nose that separates nostrils |
| colure | celestial circle that intersects another at the poles |
| colytic | restraining; preventative |
| comate | hairy |
| comb | ridge atop a helmet |
| comb-cap | ridged helmet |
| comburent | burning; causing combustion |
| comburivorous | consuming by fire |
| comedogenic | causing blackheads |
| comephorous | bearing or having hair; hairy |
| cometography | scientific description of comets |
| cometology | study of comets |
| comiphorous | tufted |
| comitative | indicating accompaniment |
| comitatus | band of warriors who escort a prince; a county or shire |
| comity | courteousness; civility |
| commatic | divided into short lines; divided with commas |
| commination | threatening; denunciation |
| comminute | to reduce or break into minute particles |
| commis | assistant; deputy; apprentice |
| commissure | joint; joining surface |
| commonalty | common people; the general populace |
| commonefaction | act of reminding or admonishing |
| commonition | warning; cautioning |
| commonitive | serving as a reminder |
| commorant | resident of an institution |
| commorient | dying together |
| commove | to excite; to put into motion; to disturb |
| comose | having tufts of hair; tufted; hairy |
| compaginate | to join; to connect |
| companionway | stairs from upper deck of ship to lower deck |
| compaternity | spiritual relationship between child's parents and godparents |
| compeer | one who is equal in rank; a companion |
| compellation | the act of addressing someone |
| compellative | indicating address or appellation; vocative |
| compendious | concise but comprehensive |
| comper | one who habitually enters many competitions |
| comperendinate | to delay or defer |
| compital | of, like or pertaining to crossroads |
| complaisant | wishing to please others; obliging |
| complanate | level |
| complect | to embrace; to interweave |
| complicant | overlapping |
| compline | prayer service held just before bedtime |
| complot | to plot or conspire |
| comport | a dish with a stemmed base for serving desserts |
| compossible | possible in coexistence with something else |
| compotation | an act of carousing in company |
| comprecation | prayer meeting |
| compunction | regret; remorse |
| compurgation | clearing an accused person by means of oaths |
| compusion | wrinkling one's face |
| comstockery | censorship of lewd and salacious material |
| conation | mental effort towards a goal, desire, purpose |
| conative | of, like or pertaining to purposeful action or desire |
| conatus | a natural impulse or tendency |
| concameration | vaulting |
| concelebrate | to jointly recite the canon of the Eucharist in unison with others |
| concent | a harmony or concord of sounds or voices |
| conceptualism | theory that universal truths exist as mental concepts |
| concertina | accordion-like instrument with two sets of keys |
| concetto | ingenious expression; witticism |
| conchiferous | bearing a shell |
| conchiform | shaped like a shell |
| conchology | study of shells |
| conchomancy | divination using shells |
| conchyliferous | bearing a shell |
| conciliabule | secret meeting of conspirators |
| concinnity | harmony; congruity; elegance |
| concipient | conceiving |
| concision | schism; separation; division |
| conclamation | a shout of many voices together |
| concolorate | having the same colour on both sides |
| concomitant | accompanying |
| concordat | agreement between the pope and a secular government |
| concresce | to grow together; coalesce |
| concrew | to grow together |
| concubitant | of a suitable age for marriage |
| concupiscence | strong desire, appetite or lust |
| condign | well-deserved; fitting; appropriate |
| confabulate | to chat; to invent past experiences |
| confelicitous | taking pleasure in others' happiness |
| conferva | green algae that floats on surface of stagnant water |
| confirmand | candidate for religious confirmation |
| confiteor | prayer of confession of sins |
| conflate | blend or fuse together |
| conformative | indicating resemblance; similative |
| confute | to disprove or overcome through argument |
| congee | permission to depart; dismissal; discharge |
| congelation | act of freezing something into a solid state |
| congener | something of the same kind or nature |
| congeries | aggregation; collection |
| congiary | gift distributed amongst the people or soldiers |
| conglobate | shaped like a small ball or globe |
| conglobe | to gather together into a globe or round mass |
| conglutinate | to glue or join together |
| coniaker | coin counterfeiter |
| coniferous | bearing cones |
| conification | making conical or pyramidal in shape |
| connate | congenitally or firmly united |
| connubial | of, like or pertaining to marriage |
| connumerate | to count together |
| consciuncle | pedantic or hair-splitting conscience |
| consectary | deduction; conclusion or corollary; consequent |
| consecution | logical sequence or progression of an argument |
| consenescence | state of general decay |
| consentaneous | accordant or agreeable; consistent |
| consentient | unanimous; of one accord |
| consequentialism | doctrine that morality of actions is determined by their consequences |
| consilience | concurrence; coincidence |
| consilient | having common inferences drawn from different premises |
| consistory | a solemn assembly or council; a church tribunal |
| consociate | to ally or associate |
| conspecies | different species that are part of the same genus |
| conspectus | comprehensive survey; synopsis; summary |
| conspue | to despise; to abhor; to loathe |
| conspurcation | defilement |
| constate | to assert |
| constative | capable of being true or false |
| constellate | to cluster; to compel by stellar influence |
| constringe | to draw together; to cause to contract or shrink |
| constructivism | belief that knowledge and reality do not have an objective value |
| constuprate | to ravish |
| consuetude | custom; familiarity |
| consuetudinary | book of customs, traditions and principles |
| consultor | advisor to a Catholic bishop |
| contabescent | wasting away; atrophied |
| conteck | strife |
| contect | to cover or overlay |
| contemn | to despise or scorn |
| contemnor | one found guilty of contempt of court |
| contemper | to blend together; to adapt |
| contenement | property necessary to maintain one's station |
| contesseration | forming a union by breaking a tablet as token |
| contextualism | doctrine that context is essential to establishing meaning |
| conticent | silent |
| contignation | joining together of timber |
| contline | space between casks or strands of rope |
| contorniate | having a groove around the edge |
| contorno | contour or outline |
| contra | against |
| contractile | having the power or property of contracting |
| contradistinguish | to distinguish by contrasting qualities |
| contrahent | a contracting party |
| contrail | condensation trail |
| contrair | against |
| contranatant | swimming upstream |
| contraplex | having messages passing both ways simultaneously |
| contraposition | opposition; contrast |
| contrariant | opposed or acting contrary to; one who is opposed to something |
| contraterrene | opposite in character to earthly or terrestrial |
| contravallation | fortification built around besieged place |
| contredanse | folk dance in which two lines of couples face each other |
| contretemps | embarrassing occurrence; mishap |
| contrist | to sadden |
| contriturate | to pulverize |
| contubernal | living together in the same tent; cohabiting |
| contumacious | stubborn; obstinate; opposing lawful authority |
| contumely | insolence; a scornful insult |
| contumulation | lying in the same tomb as another |
| conurbation | city surrounded by many urban areas |
| conure | tropical parrot-like bird of Central and South America |
| convenances | what is suitable or proper; the required proprieties |
| conventicle | secret or illegal church assembly |
| convicinity | neighbourhood |
| convolve | to roll together |
| copacetic | very satisfactory; fine |
| coparcenary | joint heirship or ownership |
| cophosis | deafness |
| coprolalia | pathological use of obscene language |
| coprolith | ball of hardened feces |
| coprology | study of pornography |
| copromania | obsession with feces |
| coprophagous | eating feces |
| coprophemia | obscene language |
| coprophilia | abnormal love or fondness for feces |
| coprostatis | constipation |
| copyhold | land tenure dependent on will of the lord of the manor |
| coquelicot | brilliant red; poppy red |
| coquicide | killing of a cook |
| coquillage | shell-like decoration |
| coracoid | shaped like a crow's beak |
| coralliferous | bearing coral |
| coralligenous | producing coral |
| coram | in the presence of; before |
| corban | offering to God in fulfilment of a vow |
| corbeau | blackish green |
| corbeil | basket filled with earth used as a missile |
| corbel | bracket or projection from the face of a wall |
| corbiculate | like a small basket |
| cordage | ropes in the rigging of a ship |
| cordate | heart-shaped |
| cordiform | heart-shaped |
| cordovan | soft goatskin leather |
| cordwainer | shoemaker |
| corella | cockateel |
| corf | miner's basket, trolley or wagon |
| coriaceous | having a leathery appearance; consisting, of, like or pertaining to leather |
| corium | skin layer |
| corm | swollen subterranean part of a stem |
| cornet | military rank of horn-bearer or standard-bearer |
| cornice | moulding at the junction of ceiling and walls |
| corniculate | horn-shaped; horned |
| cornific | producing or forming horns |
| corniform | shaped like a horn |
| cornigerous | horned |
| cornuted | cuckolded |
| cornuto | cuckolder |
| coronach | funeral dirge |
| coronagraph | instrument for viewing the corona of the sun |
| coronoid | shaped like a beak |
| corpocracy | government by corporate bureaucrats |
| corporal | white cloth on which Communion bread and wine are placed |
| corposant | St. Elmo's fire or similar electrical discharge |
| corrade | to wear away through the action of loose solids |
| correption | shortening in pronunciation |
| corrigendum | something which requires correction |
| corrivate | to cause to flow together |
| corrody | right of lord to demand free lodging from vassal |
| corsetier | corset maker |
| corslet | armour for the torso |
| cortege | train of attendants; procession |
| cortinate | like a cobweb |
| coruscate | to sparkle; to throw off flashes of light |
| corvette | highly manoeuvrable armed escort ship |
| corviform | shaped like a crow |
| corvine | crow-like; of, like or pertaining to crows or ravens |
| corybantic | wildly excited; frenzied |
| coryphaeus | spokesman; leader of a chorus |
| coscinomancy | divination using a sieve and a pair of shears |
| cosher | to live on dependents |
| cosmarchy | rulership over the entire world, esp. by the devil |
| cosmetology | study of cosmetics |
| cosmism | belief that the cosmos is a self-existing whole |
| cosmocrat | ruler of the world |
| cosmogenic | produced by interaction of cosmic rays with earth's surface |
| cosmogony | theory of the origin of the universe |
| cosmography | description of the universe or cosmos |
| cosmolatry | worship of the world |
| cosmoplastic | moulding or shaping the universe |
| cosmorama | a view of different parts of the world |
| cosmosophy | knowledge of the cosmos |
| cosmotellurian | of, like or pertaining to both heaven and earth |
| cosmotheism | the belief that identifies God with the cosmos |
| cosset | to fondle or pamper |
| costal | of, like or pertaining to the ribs |
| costellate | ribbed |
| costive | affected with or causing constipation |
| coteau | uplands; higher ground of a region |
| cotehardie | medieval long close-fitting garment with tight sleeves |
| coterie | a social or literary circle |
| cothurnal | of, like or pertaining to tragedy |
| coticular | of, like or pertaining to whetstones |
| cotillion | elaborate ballroom dance with frequent changes of partner |
| cotquean | man who does women's work |
| cotta | short surplice worn over a cassock |
| cottar | medieval peasant inhabiting a cottage |
| cottonocracy | government by those involved in the cotton trade |
| cotyliform | disc-shaped with a raised rim |
| couchant | in heraldry, an animal lying on its belly with head lifted |
| couchee | evening reception |
| coulée | steep and dry gully |
| couloir | gully |
| coulombmeter | instrument for measuring electric charge |
| coulometer | instrument measuring amount of substance released in electrolysis |
| coulrophobia | fear of clowns |
| coulter | iron cutter in front of a ploughshare |
| countenance | approve of; condone; encourage |
| counterblast | a defiant pronouncement or denunciation |
| counterfoil | part of ticket or cheque retained by giver |
| countermand | to revoke an order by a contrary order |
| counterphobic | seeking out situation that is feared |
| counterscarp | narrow earth band on the outer wall of a defensive ditch |
| coupe | four-wheeled closed horse-drawn carriage |
| courante | quick Italian baroque dance involving running steps |
| courgette | zucchini |
| couter | armor for the elbow |
| couvade | symptoms of pregnancy suffered by the father |
| couveuse | incubator for babies |
| covinous | fraudulent |
| cowcat | person whose function is to occupy space |
| coxalgia | hip pain |
| coxcomb | foolishly vain or conceited man |
| coypu | large aquatic South American rodent |
| cozen | to coax or deceive by trickery |
| crachoir | spittoon |
| crackjaw | hard to pronounce |
| crambo | game in which rhyme must be found for given word |
| cramoisy | crimson |
| crampon | boot-spike for rock and ice climbing |
| craniometer | instrument for measuring the skull |
| crapehanger | pessimist |
| crapulent | physically ill through overeating or overdrinking |
| craquelure | fine cracking that appears in old paintings |
| crash | coarse drapery and towelling fabric |
| crasis | blending; melding two vowels into a diphthong |
| crassilingual | having a thick tongue |
| crassitude | state of being coarse, gross or crass |
| crateriform | cup-shaped |
| cratometer | instrument for measuring power of magnification |
| creancer | guardian or mentor |
| creant | creating; formative |
| creatic | of, like or pertaining to flesh |
| creatophagous | carnivorous; flesh-eating |
| crebrous | frequent |
| credal | of, like or pertaining to a creed |
| credence | small table for holding sacred vessels |
| credenda | things to be believed |
| credenza | credence table or shelf; a sideboard |
| credo | concise statement of doctrine; section of Mass followed by offertory |
| cremaillere | zigzag line of fortification |
| cremaster | muscle by which the testicles are suspended |
| cremnophobia | fear of cliffs and precipices |
| crenate | scalloped |
| crenel | open space on a parapet used for launching projectiles at enemies |
| crenellated | notched; having battlements |
| crenitic | of, like or pertaining to mineral springs |
| creophagous | flesh-eating; carnivorous |
| crepance | sore on a horse's hind ankle-joint |
| crepe | light crinkled fabric |
| crepehanger | pessimist; gloomy person |
| crepitate | to crackle; to snap; to rattle |
| crepitus | fart |
| crepon | heavy crepe fabric with lengthwise crinkles |
| crepuscular | of, like or pertaining to twilight |
| crescive | growing; increasing |
| crescograph | instrument for measuring the growth of plants |
| cresset | iron basket for burning oil to provide light |
| cretaceous | of or resembling chalk; of a whitish colour |
| cretify | to change into calcium or lime; to fossilize |
| cretonne | heavy cotton or linen cloth |
| crewel | fine worsted yarn used in tapestry |
| criant | garish; discordantly coloured |
| cribble | to decorate wood or metal with small dots or punctures |
| cribration | sifting |
| cribriform | shaped like a sieve |
| cribrous | perforated or punctured like a sieve |
| cricoid | ring-shaped |
| criminogenic | causing crime |
| criminology | study of crime; criminals |
| crin | horsehair fabric |
| crinal | of or related to the hair |
| crinet | armour for the top and sides of a horse's neck |
| cringle | loop at corner of sail to which a line is attached |
| crinigerous | hairy |
| crinoline | stiff flax or cotton fabric |
| criophore | sculpture of a man carrying a ram |
| crista | ridge or fold resembling a crest |
| crithomancy | divination by strewing meal over sacrifices |
| criticaster | inferior or petty critic |
| critomancy | divination using viands and cakes |
| croceate | saffron-coloured |
| croche | knob at top of a deer's horn |
| cromlech | prehistoric stone circle |
| cromnyomancy | divination using onions |
| croquinole | curling of one's hair with curling iron |
| crosier | pastoral staff or crook held by bishop or abbot |
| crosslet | small cross with crossed arms used as heraldic bearing |
| crosstrees | horizontal crosspieces at a masthead used to support ship's mast |
| crotal | small spherical bell |
| crotaline | of, like or pertaining to rattlesnakes |
| crotchet | square bracket |
| croze | groove in the staves of a cask |
| crubeen | term for pig's feet as food |
| cruciferous | bearing a cross |
| cruciform | cross-shaped |
| cruentation | leaking or oozing of blood from dead body |
| cruet | vessel used in religious ceremonies, especially to hold the Eucharist |
| cruive | pen or sty for animals |
| crumenal | a purse |
| crupper | strap of saddle that passes beneath horse's tail; armour for horse's flanks |
| crural | of or belonging to the leg |
| cruset | goldsmith's crucible |
| crwth | Welsh six-stringed instrument played with a bow |
| cryobiology | study of life under cold conditions |
| cryometer | instrument for measuring low temperatures |
| cryoscope | instrument for determining freezing points of substances |
| cryptadia | things to be kept hidden |
| cryptaesthetic | of, like or pertaining to supranormal perception |
| cryptarchy | secret rulership |
| cryptodynamic | having secret or hidden power |
| cryptogenic | of unknown origin |
| cryptonym | secret name |
| cryptotype | an implicit and specific rule of language use |
| cryptous | of, like or pertaining to crypts |
| crystallogenesis | production of crystals |
| crystallography | study and classification of crystals |
| crystallomancy | divination by means of clear objects |
| crystalomancy | divination using a crystal globe |
| cteniform | comb-shaped |
| ctetology | study of the inheritance of acquired characteristics |
| cubation | act of lying down or reclining |
| cubica | fine unglazed fabric resembling shalloon |
| cubiform | shaped like a cube |
| cubomancy | divination by throwing dice |
| cuculine | of, like or pertaining to cuckoos |
| cucullate | hooded; hood-shaped |
| cucumiform | cucumber-shaped |
| cucurbit | chemical vessel used in a still or alembic |
| cucurbitaceous | of, like or pertaining to gourds |
| cuddy | right of a lord to entertainment from a tenant |
| cuirass | leather or metal armour consisting of a breastplate and backplate |
| cuisse | armour for the front of the thighs |
| culet | flat back or base of a gemstone |
| culet | armour plates for the body below the waist |
| culex | mosquito |
| culiciform | like or resembling a mosquito |
| culicino | mark left on a tablecloth by a wet glass |
| cullet | waste glass which is melted into new objects |
| cullion | mean or base person; rascal |
| culm | stem of grass or sedge |
| culmen | highest point |
| culmiferous | bearing coal-dust |
| cultch | flooring of an oyster-bed; rubbish |
| cultriform | knife-shaped |
| cultus | religious ritual; a cult |
| culver | dove or pigeon |
| culverin | lightweight, portal, long-barrelled cannon |
| culvertage | degradation of a peasant to the position of serf |
| cumbent | lying down; reclining |
| cumuliform | shaped like a heap |
| cumulose | containing or consisting of small heaps |
| cunabula | cradle |
| cunctation | delay; procrastination |
| cuneate | wedge-shaped |
| cuneiform | shaped like a wedge |
| cuniculous | full of holes and tunnels; full of rabbits |
| cupel | goldsmith's vessel for assaying metal |
| cupola | spherical vault or concave ceiling |
| cupriferous | bearing copper |
| cupulate | of, like or pertaining to a cup; cup-shaped |
| cupuliferous | bearing cupules |
| curate | assistant to a parish priest |
| curette | instrument for scraping sides of body cavities |
| curia | papal court and its officials |
| curie | unit of radioactive decay and intensity |
| curiology | picture-writing |
| curiosa | pornographic books |
| curlew | long-legged migratory bird with downward-curving bill |
| curmurring | rumbling or flatulent sound |
| curricle | two-wheeled open carriage |
| currycomb | metal comb used to groom horses |
| cursorial | used in walking or running |
| curtal | short; abbreviated; curtailed |
| curtal | kind of archaic bassoon |
| curtate | shortened; short |
| curtilage | court or field attached to a dwelling |
| curule | of high authority |
| curvet | to leap; to frisk |
| curvicaudate | having a curvy tail |
| cusec | unit of liquid flow equal to one cubic foot per second |
| cusk | large Atlantic fish like the cod |
| cuspidor | a spittoon |
| custos | guardian, custodian or keeper, especially of convents or monasteries |
| custrel | attendant to a knight; a knave |
| cutaneous | of or related to the skin |
| cuvette | shallow dish for holding liquids |
| cwm | valley or glen |
| cyaneous | sky blue |
| cyanogenesis | production of cyanide |
| cyanometer | instrument for measuring blueness of the sky or ocean |
| cyanotype | blueprint |
| cyathiform | shaped like a cup |
| cybernate | to control by means of a computer |
| cyberphobia | fear of computers |
| cyclas | garment, longer at back than in front, worn over armour |
| cyclograph | instrument for describing arcs of circles without compasses |
| cyclolith | stone circle |
| cyclometer | instrument for measuring revolutions of a wheel |
| cyclophoria | squint due to weakness in the eye muscles |
| cyclosis | circulation |
| cyclostyle | device for making multiple copies of written text |
| cyesis | pregnancy |
| cyesolagnia | sexual attraction to pregnant women |
| cylix | shallow cup with long stem |
| cyllosis | congenital physical deformity |
| cymaphen | telephone receiver |
| cymar | loose light robe worn by women |
| cymbiform | shaped like a boat |
| cymograph | instrument for tracing the outline of mouldings |
| cymometer | instrument for measuring frequency of electrical waves |
| cymophanous | opalescent; having a wavy or floating light |
| cymotrichous | wavy-haired |
| cynanthropy | pathological belief that one is a dog |
| cynartomachy | bear-baiting using dogs |
| cynegetic | of or related to hunting |
| cynoclept | one who steals dogs |
| cynography | writing or treatise on dogs |
| cynoid | dog-like; canine |
| cynolatry | worship of dogs |
| cynology | scientific study of dogs |
| cynomorphic | pertaining to a dog's viewpoint |
| cynophilist | one who loves dogs |
| cynophobia | fear of dogs |
| cynosure | anything that attracts attention; object of interest |
| cyphonism | use of pillorying as punishment |
| cypress | silk or cotton gauze fabric, usually black |
| cyprian | lewd woman; prostitute |
| cyprinoid | of, like or pertaining to carp |
| cypseline | of, like or pertaining to swifts |
| cyrenaic | adherent of doctrine that pleasure is ultimate goal |
| cystolith | calcium carbonate that masses in cell wall of some plants |
| cystoscope | instrument for examining the bladder |
| cytheromania | nymphomania |
| cytogenesis | formation of cells |
| cytology | study of living cells |
| cytometer | instrument for counting cells |
| czardas | Hungarian dance that increases in speed |
I hope you have found this site to be useful. If you have any corrections, additions, or comments, please contact me. Please note that I am not able to respond to all requests. Please consult a major dictionary before e-mailing your query. All material on this page © 1996-2021 Stephen Chrisomalis. Links to this page may be made without permission.