rarely used words starting with c

Rarely Used Words Starting With C 1

Cabal • noun a secret political clique or faction.

— ORIGIN Latin cabala ‘Kabbalah’ (its original sense in English).

Caber • noun a roughly trimmed tree trunk used in the Scottish Highland sport of tossing the caber.

— ORIGIN Scottish Gaelic cabar ‘pole’.

Caboodle • noun (in phrase the whole caboodle or the whole kit and caboodle) informal the whole number or quantity of people or things in question.

— ORIGIN originally US: perhaps from the phrase kit and boodle, in the same sense.

Cabotage • noun 1 navigation or trade along the coast. 2 Aviation. the legal restriction to domestic carriers of air transport between points within a country's borders.

— ORIGIN1825–35; < F, deriv. of caboter to sail coastwise, v. deriv. of MF cabo < Sp cabo headland, CAPE

Cadastre • noun an official register of the ownership, extent, and value of real property in a given area, used as a basis of taxation.

— ORIGIN 1795–1805; < F < Pr cadastro < It catastro, earlier (Venetian) catastico < LGk katástichon register, deriv. of phrase katà stíchon by line

Cadge • verb informal ask for or obtain (something to which one is not entitled).

— DERIVATIVES cadger noun.

— ORIGIN from cadger, a northern English and Scottish word meaning itinerant dealer.

Cadre • noun 1 a small group of people trained for a particular purpose or profession. 2 /also kayd r/ a group of activists in a revolutionary organization.

— ORIGIN French, from Latin quadrus ‘square’.

Caesium • noun a soft, silvery, extremely reactive metallic chemical element.

— ORIGIN from Latin caesius ‘greyish-blue’ (because it has characteristic lines in the blue part of the spectrum).

Cahoots • plural noun (in phrase in cahoots) informal colluding or conspiring together secretly.

— ORIGIN of unknown origin.

Calamine • noun a pink powder consisting of zinc carbonate and ferric oxide, used to make a soothing lotion or ointment.

— ORIGIN Latin calamina, from Greek kadmeia ge ‘Cadmean earth’, from the name of Cadmus, the legendary founder of Thebes.

1 By H.U.

Calcareous • adjective containing calcium carbonate; chalky.

— ORIGIN Latin calcarius, from calx ‘lime’.

Calliper • noun 1 (also calipers) a measuring instrument with two hinged legs and in-turned or out-turned points. 2 a motor-vehicle or bicycle brake consisting of two or more hinged components. 3 a metal support for a person’s leg.

— ORIGIN probably an alteration of CALIBRE.

Callisthenics • plural noun gymnastic exercises to achieve bodily fitness and grace of movement.

— ORIGIN from Greek kallos ‘beauty’ + sthenos ‘strength’.

Callow • adjective (of a young person) inexperienced and immature.

— DERIVATIVES callowly adverb callowness noun.

— ORIGIN Old English, bald, probably from Latin calvus ‘bald’, later unfledged.

Callus • noun 1 a thickened and hardened part of the skin or soft tissue. 2 Botany a hard formation of tissue formed over a wound.

— DERIVATIVES callused adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘hardened skin’.

Callumny • noun (pl. calumnies) the making of false and defamatory statements about someone.

• verb (calumnies, calumnied) formal calumniate.

— DERIVATIVES calumnious /k lumni ss/ adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin calumnia.

Calyx • noun (pl. calyces /kayliseez/ or calyxes) 1 Botany the sepals of a flower, forming a protective layer around a flower in bud. 2 Zoology a cup-like cavity or structure.

— ORIGIN Greek kalux ‘case of a bud, husk’.

Cambist • noun 1 a dealer in bills of exchange. 2 an expert in foreign exchange. 3 a manual giving the moneys, weights, and measures of different countries, with their equivalents.

— ORIGIN 1800–10; < F cambiste < It cambista.

Camphor • noun a white volatile crystalline substance with an aromatic smell and bitter taste, occurring in certain essential oils.

— ORIGIN Latin camphora, from Sanskrit

Canasta • noun a card game resembling rummy, using two packs and usually played by two pairs of partners.

— ORIGIN Spanish, ‘basket’.

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/calibre

Candela • noun Physics the SI unit of luminous intensity.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘candle’.

Canker • noun 1 a destructive fungal disease of trees that results in damage to the bark. 2 an open lesion in plant tissue caused by infection or injury. 3 fungal rot in parsnips, tomatoes, or other vegetables. 4 an ulcerous condition in animals, especially an inflammation of the ear caused by a mite infestation.

• verb 1 become infected with canker. 2 (cankered) infected with a pervasive and corrupting bitterness.

— DERIVATIVES cankerous adjective.

— ORIGIN originally denoting a tumour: from Old French chancre, from Latin cancer ‘crab, creeping ulcer’.

Canoodle • verb informal kiss and cuddle amorously.


Capacious • adjective having a lot of space inside; roomy.

— DERIVATIVES capaciously adverb capaciousness noun.

— ORIGIN from Latin capax ‘capable’.

Capitation • noun the payment of a fee or grant to a doctor, school, etc., the amount being determined by the number of patients, pupils, etc.

— ORIGIN Latin, from caput ‘head’.

Carafe • noun an open-topped glass flask typically used for serving wine in a restaurant.

— ORIGIN French, from Italian caraffa, probably from an Arabic word meaning draw water.

Carbine • noun 1 a light automatic rifle. 2 historical a short rifle or musket used by cavalry.

— ORIGIN French carabine, from carabin ‘mounted musketeer’.

Carbuncle • noun 1 a severe abscess or multiple boil in the skin. 2 a bright red gem, in particular a polished garnet.

— DERIVATIVES carbuncular adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin carbunculus ‘small coal’, from carbo ‘coal, charcoal’.

Careen • verb 1 turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning or repair. 2 (of a ship) tilt; lean over. 3 move in an uncontrolled way; career.

— ORIGIN from Latin carina ‘a keel’.

Caret • noun a mark (&caret;, &insert;) placed below a line of text to indicate a proposed insertion.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘is lacking’.

Caries • noun decay and crumbling of a tooth or bone.

— DERIVATIVES carious adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin.

Carillon • noun a set of bells sounded from a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism.

— ORIGIN French, from Old French quarregnon ‘peal of four bells’, from Latin quattuor ‘four’.

Carmine • noun a vivid crimson pigment made from cochineal.

— ORIGIN French carmin, from an Arabic word meaning kermes; related to CRIMSON.

Carotid • adjective Anatomy relating to the two main arteries carrying blood to the head and neck.

— ORIGIN from Greek karotides, plural of karotis ‘drowsiness, stupor’ (because compression of these arteries was thought to cause stupor).

Carouse • verb drink alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way.

• noun a noisy, lively drinking party.

— DERIVATIVES carousal noun carouser noun.

— ORIGIN originally meaning right out, completely in the phrase drink carouse, from German gar aus trinken.

Carrion • noun the decaying flesh of dead animals.

— ORIGIN Old French caroine, charoigne, from Latin caro ‘flesh’.

Carte Blanche • noun complete freedom to act as one wishes.

— ORIGIN French, ‘blank paper’.

Cartography • noun the science or practice of drawing maps.

— DERIVATIVES cartographer noun cartographic adjective.

— ORIGIN from French carte ‘card, map’.

Cassock • noun a long garment worn by some Christian clergy and members of church choirs.

— ORIGIN Italian casacca ‘riding coat’.

Cassowary • noun (pl. cassowaries) a very large flightless bird related to the emu, native mainly to New Guinea.

— ORIGIN Malay.

Casuarina • noun a tree with slender, jointed, drooping twigs bearing tiny scale-like leaves, native to Australia and SE Asia.

— ORIGIN Latin casuarius ‘cassowary’ (from the resemblance of the branches to the bird’s feathers).

Catacomb • noun an underground tunnels and caves, for burial.

— ORIGIN Latin catacumbas, the name of the subterranean cemetery of St Sebastian near Rome.

Catarrh • noun excessive discharge of mucus in the nose or throat.

— DERIVATIVES catarrhal adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin catarrhus, from Greek katarrhein ‘flow down’.

Caterwaul • verb make a shrill howling or wailing noise.

• noun a shrill howling or wailing noise.

Catharsis • noun the release of pent-up emotions, for example through drama.

— DERIVATIVES cathartic adjective & noun.

— ORIGIN Greek katharsis, from kathairein ‘cleanse’.

Catheter • noun a flexible tube inserted into a body cavity, particularly the bladder, for removing fluid.

— ORIGIN Greek katheter, from kathienai ‘send or let down’.

Caul • noun the amniotic membrane enclosing a fetus, part of which is occasionally found on a baby’s head at birth.

— ORIGIN perhaps from Old French cale ‘head covering’.

Caulk • noun a waterproof filler and sealant, used in building work and repairs.

• verb 1 seal with caulk. 2 make (a boat or its seams) watertight.

— ORIGIN from Latin calcare ‘to tread’.

Cauterise • verb burn the skin or flesh of (a wound) to stop bleeding or prevent infection.

— DERIVATIVES cauterization noun.

— ORIGIN Greek kauteriazein, from kauterion ‘branding iron’.

Cavalcade • noun a procession of vehicles, riders, or people on foot.

— ORIGIN Italian cavalcata, from cavalcare ‘to ride’.

Cavil • verb (cavilled, cavilling; US caviled, caviling) make petty objections.

• noun a petty objection.

— ORIGIN Latin cavillari, from cavilla ‘mockery’.

Censorious • adjective severely critical.

— DERIVATIVES censoriously adverb censoriousness noun.

Censure • verb express strong disapproval of.

• noun strong disapproval or criticism.

— DERIVATIVES censurable adjective.

— ORIGIN from Latin censura ‘judgement, assessment’, from censere ‘assess’.

Cephalic • adjective relating to the head.

— ORIGIN from Greek kephale ‘head’.

Chablis • noun a dry white burgundy wine from Chablis in eastern France.

Charge D’affaires • noun (pl. chargés pronunc. same) 1 an ambassador’s deputy. 2 a state’s diplomatic representative in a minor country.

— ORIGIN French, ‘a person in charge of affairs’.

Chary • adjective (charier, chariest) cautiously reluctant: leaders are chary of reform.

— ORIGIN Old English, sorrowful, anxious.

Cheep • noun 1 a shrill squeaky cry made by a young bird. 2 informal the slightest sound: there hasn’t been a cheep from anybody.

• verb make a cheep.

— ORIGIN imitative.

Cheroot • noun a cigar with both ends open.

— ORIGIN French cheroute, from a Tamil word meaning ‘roll of tobacco’.

Chicanery • noun the use of trickery to achieve one’s purpose.

Chilblain • noun a painful, itching swelling on a hand or foot caused by poor circulation in the skin when exposed to cold.

— ORIGIN from CHILL + archaic blain, from an Old English word meaning inflamed swelling or sore.

Chink • noun 1 a narrow opening or crack. 2 a beam of light admitted by a chink.

— ORIGIN related to CHINE.

• verb make a light, high-pitched ringing sound, as of glasses or coins striking together.

• noun a high-pitched ringing sound.


Chintz • noun printed multicoloured cotton fabric with a glazed finish, used for curtains and upholstery.

— ORIGIN Hindi, ‘spattering, stain’.

Chipmunk • noun a burrowing ground squirrel with light and dark stripes running down the body.

— ORIGIN Ojibwa (an American Indian language).

Chiropody • noun the treatment of the feet and their ailments.

— DERIVATIVES chiropodist noun.

— ORIGIN from Greek kheir ‘hand’ + pous ‘foot’.

Chit • noun derogatory an impudent or arrogant young woman.

— ORIGIN originally meaning whelp, cub, or kitten: perhaps related to dialect chit sprout.

• noun a short official note recording a sum owed.

— ORIGIN Hindi, ‘note, pass’.

Chock • noun 1 a wedge or block placed against a wheel to prevent it from moving. 2 a ring with a gap at the top, through which a rope or line is run.

— ORIGIN Old French çoche ‘block, log’.

Chortle • verb laugh in a breathy, gleeful way.

• noun a breathy, gleeful laugh.

— ORIGIN coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass; probably a blend of CHUCKLE and SNORT.

Chronograph • noun an instrument for recording time with great accuracy.

Chronometer • noun an instrument for measuring time accurately in spite of motion or varying conditions.

Chrysalis • noun (pl. chrysalises) 1 an insect pupa, especially of a butterfly or moth. 2 the hard outer case enclosing this.

— ORIGIN Greek khrusallis, from khrusos ‘gold’ (because of the metallic sheen of some pupae).

Chump • noun 1 informal, dated a foolish person. 2 Brit. the thick end of something, especially a loin of lamb or mutton.

— ORIGIN originally in the sense thick lump of wood: probably a blend of CHUNK and LUMP or STUMP.

Chunder • verb vomit.

• noun vomit.

— ORIGIN probably from rhyming slang Chunder Loo spew, from the name of a cartoon character.

Churl • noun 1 an impolite and mean-spirited person. 2 archaic a peasant.

— ORIGIN Old English.

Circumstantiate • verb 1 to set forth or support with circumstances or particulars: Documents circumstantiated her evidence. 2 to describe fully or minutely: He circumstantiated the accident.

— ORIGIN 1640–50; < L circumstanti(a) CIRCUMSTANCE + -ATE

Cirrus • noun (pl. cirri /sirri/) 1 cloud forming wispy streaks at high altitude. 2 Zoology & Botany a slender tendril or hair-like filament.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘a curl’.

Clack • verb make a sharp sound as of a hard object striking another.

• noun a clacking sound.


Clamber • verb climb or move in an awkward and laborious way.

• noun an act of clambering.

— ORIGIN probably from clamb, obsolete past tense of CLIMB.

Clamour • noun 1 a loud and confused noise. 2 a vehement protest or demand.

• verb (of a group) make a clamour.

— DERIVATIVES clamorous adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin clamor, from clamare ‘cry out’.

Clammy • adjective (clammier, clammiest) 1 unpleasantly damp and sticky. 2 (of air) cold and damp.

— DERIVATIVES clammily adverb clamminess noun.

— ORIGIN from dialect clam to be sticky; related to CLAY.

Clang • noun a loud metallic sound.

• verb make a clang.

— ORIGIN imitative, influenced by Latin clangere ‘resound’.

Clangour • noun a continuous clanging sound.

— DERIVATIVES clangorous adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin clangor, from clangere ‘resound’.

Claret • noun 1 a red wine, especially from Bordeaux. 2 a deep purplish red colour.

— ORIGIN from Latin claratum vinum ‘clarified wine’, from clarus ‘clear’.

Clarion • noun chiefly historical a shrill war trumpet.

• adjective loud and clear.

— PHRASES clarion call a strongly expressed demand for action.

— ORIGIN Latin, from clarus ‘clear’.

Clavicle • noun Anatomy technical term for COLLARBONE.

— DERIVATIVES clavicular adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin clavicula ‘small key’ (because of its shape).

Cleat • noun 1 a T-shaped or similar projection to which a rope may be attached. 2 a projecting wedge on a spar, tool, etc., to prevent slippage.

— DERIVATIVES cleated adjective.

— ORIGIN Germanic, related to CLOT and CLOUT.

Cleft past participle of CLEAVE.

• adjective split, divided, or partially divided into two.

• noun 1 a fissure or split in rock or the ground. 2 an indentation in a person’s forehead or chin, or a hollow between two parts of the body.

— PHRASES be (or be caught) in a cleft stick chiefly Brit. be in a situation in which any action one takes will have adverse consequences.

Clement • adjective 1 (of weather) mild. 2 merciful.

— DERIVATIVES clemency noun.

— ORIGIN Latin clemens.

Clique • noun a small group of people who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them.

— DERIVATIVES cliquey adjective cliquish adjective.

— ORIGIN French, from Old French cliquer ‘make a noise’.

Clod • noun 1 a lump of earth. 2 informal a stupid person.

— ORIGIN variant of CLOT.

Clodhoppers • noun 1 a clumsy boor; rustic; bumpkin. 2 clodhoppers, strong, heavy shoes.

— ORIGIN1680–90; CLOD + HOPPER , modeled on GRASSHOPPER

Cloy • verb disgust or sicken with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment.

— DERIVATIVES cloying adjective cloyingly adverb.

— ORIGIN shortening of obsolete accloy block up, from Old French encloyer ‘drive a nail into’, from Latin clavus ‘a nail’.

Cobber • noun Austral./NZ informal a companion or friend.

— ORIGIN perhaps related to English dialect cob take a liking to.

Coccyx • noun (pl. coccyges /koksijeez/ or coccyxes) a small triangular bone at the base of the spinal column in humans and some apes, formed of fused vestigial vertebrae.

— DERIVATIVES coccygeal /koksiji l/ adjective.

— ORIGIN Greek kokkux ‘cuckoo’ (because the shape of the human bone resembles the cuckoo’s bill).

Cochineal • noun a scarlet dye used for colouring food, made from the crushed dried bodies of a female scale insect.

— ORIGIN French cochenille or Spanish cochinilla, from Latin coccinus ‘scarlet’.

Coddle • verb 1 treat in an indulgent or overprotective way. 2 cook (an egg) in water below boiling point.

— DERIVATIVES coddler noun.

— ORIGIN origin uncertain; sense 1 is probably a variant of obsolete caudle ‘administer invalids’ gruel’.

Codger • noun informal, derogatory an elderly man.

— ORIGIN perhaps a variant of cadger (see CADGE).

Codicil • noun an addition or supplement that explains, modifies, or revokes a will or part of one.

— ORIGIN Latin codicillus ‘little book’, from codex ‘block of wood’.

Coelenterate • noun Zoology a member of a large group of aquatic invertebrate animals (phylum Cnidaria), including jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones, which typically have a tube- or cup-shaped body with a single opening ringed with tentacles.

— ORIGIN from Greek koilos ‘hollow’ + enteron ‘intestine’.

Coemption • noun The act of buying the whole quantity of any commodity.

Cogitate • verb formal meditate or reflect.

— DERIVATIVES cogitation noun cogitative adjective cogitator noun.

— ORIGIN Latin cogitare ‘to consider’.

Coiffure • noun a person’s hairstyle.

— DERIVATIVES coiffured adjective.

Collocate • verb /koll kayt/ (of a word) form a collocation with another.

• noun /koll k t/ a word that forms a collocation with another.

Colonnade • noun a row of evenly spaced columns supporting a roof or other structure.

— DERIVATIVES colonnaded adjective.

— ORIGIN French, from Latin columna ‘column’.

Colophon • noun a publisher’s emblem or imprint.

— ORIGIN Greek kolophon ‘summit or finishing touch’.

Colostomy • noun (pl. colostomies) a surgical operation in which the colon is shortened and the cut end diverted to an opening in the abdominal wall.

— ORIGIN from COLON + Greek stoma ‘mouth’.

Colt • noun 1 a young uncastrated male horse, in particular one less than four years old. 2 a member of a junior sports team.


Commercialese • noun jargon used by those involved in commercial activities

Commissionaire • noun chiefly Brit. a uniformed door attendant at a hotel, theatre, or other building.

— ORIGIN French.

Commode • noun 1 a piece of furniture containing a concealed chamber pot. 2 a chest of drawers of a decorative type popular in the 18th century.

— ORIGIN French, ‘convenient, suitable’.

Commodious • adjective formal roomy and comfortable.

— ORIGIN Latin commodus ‘convenient’.

Compendium • noun (pl. compendiums or compendia /k pendi /) 1 a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject. 2 a collection of similar items.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘profit, saving’ (literally ‘what is weighed together’), from compendere ‘weigh together’.

Comport • verb (comport oneself) formal conduct oneself; behave.

— ORIGIN Latin comportare, from portare ‘carry, bear’.

Compositor • noun a person who arranges type for printing or who keys text into a composing machine.

Compos Mentis • adjective having full control of one’s mind.

— ORIGIN Latin.

Compunction • noun a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows wrongdoing: he felt no compunction in letting her worry.

— DERIVATIVES compunctious adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin, from compungere ‘prick sharply’.

Conch • noun (pl. conchs /kongks/ or conches /konchiz/) a tropical marine mollusc with a spiral shell.

— ORIGIN Greek konkhe ‘mussel, cockle, or shell-like cavity’.

Concomitant • adjective naturally accompanying or associated.

• noun a concomitant phenomenon.

— DERIVATIVES concomitance noun concomitantly adverb.

— ORIGIN from Latin concomitari ‘accompany’, from comes ‘companion’.

Concourse • noun 1 a large open area inside or in front of a public building. 2 formal a crowd of people.

— ORIGIN Latin concursus, from concurrere ‘assemble in crowds’.

Confabulate • verb formal converse.

— DERIVATIVES confabulation noun.

— ORIGIN Latin confabulari ‘chat together’.

Confute • verb formal prove to be wrong.

— DERIVATIVES confutation noun.

— ORIGIN Latin confutare ‘restrain, answer conclusively’.

Congenital • adjective 1 (of a disease or abnormality) present from birth. 2 having a particular trait from or as if from birth: a congenital liar.

— DERIVATIVES congenitally adverb.

— ORIGIN from Latin congenitus ‘born together’.

Conjugate • verb /konjoogayt/ 1 give the different forms of (a verb). 2 (of bacteria or unicellular organisms) become temporarily united in order to exchange genetic material.

• adjective /konjoog t/ 1 technical joined or related as a pair. 2 Biology (of gametes) fused.

• noun /konjoog t/ a conjugate thing.

— DERIVATIVES conjugation noun.

— ORIGIN Latin conjugare ‘yoke together’.

Conjunctiva • noun the mucous membrane that covers the front of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids.

— DERIVATIVES conjunctival adjective.

— ORIGIN from Latin membrana conjunctiva ‘conjunctive membrane’.

Conk • verb (conk out) informal 1 (of a machine) break down. 2 faint or go to sleep. 3 die.


• noun Brit. informal a person’s nose.

— ORIGIN perhaps an alteration of CONCH.

Consanguineous • adjective descended from the same ancestor.

— DERIVATIVES consanguinity noun.

— ORIGIN Latin consanguineus ‘of the same blood’.

Contemporaneous • adjective existing at or occurring in the same period of time.

— DERIVATIVES contemporaneity noun contemporaneously adverb contemporaneousness noun.

— ORIGIN Latin, from tempus ‘time’.

Conterminous • adjective 1 sharing a common boundary. 2 having the same area, context, or meaning.

— DERIVATIVES conterminously adverb.

— ORIGIN Latin conterminus, from terminus ‘boundary’.

Contiguous • adjective 1 sharing a common border. 2 next or together in sequence.

— DERIVATIVES contiguity noun contiguously adverb.

— ORIGIN Latin contiguus ‘touching’.

Continence • noun 1 self-restraint or abstinence, esp. in regard to sexual activity; temperance; moderation. 2 Physiology. the ability to voluntarily control urinary and fecal discharge.

— ORIGIN 1350–1400; ME < L continentia.

Contumely • noun (pl. contumelies) archaic insolent or insulting language or treatment.

— DERIVATIVES contumelious /kontyoomeeli ss/ adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin contumelia, perhaps from tumere ‘to swell’.

Contuse • noun Medicine a bruise.

— DERIVATIVES contuse verb.

— ORIGIN Latin, from contundere ‘to bruise, crush’.

Convolution • noun 1 a coil or twist. 2 the state of being or process of becoming coiled or twisted. 3 a complex argument, statement, etc.

— DERIVATIVES convolutional adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin, from convolvere ‘roll together’.

Cooee • exclamation used to attract attention.

— PHRASES within cooee Austral./NZ within reach.

— ORIGIN imitative of a signal used by Australian Aboriginals and copied by settlers.

Coolibah • noun a North Australian gum tree which typically grows near watercourses and has very strong, hard wood.

— ORIGIN from an Aboriginal language.

Coopt • noun 1 to elect into a body by the votes of the existing members. 2 to assimilate, take, or win over into a larger or established group: The fledgling Labor party was coopted by the Socialist party. 3 to appropriate as one's own; preempt: The dissidents have coopted the title of her novel for their slogan.

— ORIGIN 1645–55; < L cooptāre.

Copha • noun from coconut flesh used as shortening.

Copperplate • noun 1 a polished copper plate with a design engraved or etched into it. 2 an elaborate looped style of handwriting. the copybooks for this were originally printed from copperplates.

Coppice • noun an area of woodland in which the trees or shrubs are periodically cut back to ground level to stimulate growth and provide wood.

• verb cut back (a tree or shrub) in this way.

— ORIGIN Old French copeiz, from Greek kolaphus ‘a blow with the fist’.

Copra • noun dried coconut kernels, from which oil is obtained.

— ORIGIN Portuguese and Spanish, from an Indian word meaning coconut.

Copula • noun Grammar a connecting word, in particular a form of the verb be connecting a subject and complement.

— DERIVATIVES copular adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘connection, linking of words’.

Cormorant • noun a large diving seabird with a long neck, long hooked bill, and mainly black plumage.

— ORIGIN Old French cormaran, from Latin corvus marinus ‘sea-raven’.

Corona • noun (pl. coronae /k ronee/) 1 the rarefied gaseous envelope of the sun or a star. 2 (also corona discharge) Physics the glow around a conductor at high potential. 3 a small circle of light seen round the sun or moon. 4 Anatomy a crown or crown-like structure. 5 Botany the trumpet-shaped central part of a daffodil or narcissus flower. 6 a long, straight-sided cigar.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘wreath, crown’; sense 6 comes from a proprietary name of a Havana cigar.

Coronet • noun 1 a small or simple crown. 2 a decorative band encircling the head.

— ORIGIN Old French coronete, ‘little crown’.

Corpora plural of CORPUS.

Corporal • noun a rank of non-commissioned officer in the army, above lance corporal or private first class and below sergeant.

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/corpus

— ORIGIN Italian caporale, probably from Latin corpus ‘body (of troops)’.

Corporeal • adjective relating to a person’s body; physical rather than spiritual.

— DERIVATIVES corporeality /korporialiti/ noun.

— ORIGIN Latin corporealis, from corpus ‘body’.

Corpulent • adjective (of a person) fat.

— DERIVATIVES corpulence noun.

— ORIGIN Latin corpulentus, from corpus ‘body’.

Corpuscle • noun a minute body or cell in an organism, especially a red or white blood cell.

— DERIVATIVES corpuscular adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin corpusculum ‘small body’.

Corpus Delicti • noun Law the facts and circumstances constituting a breach of a law.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘body of offence’.

Corrigendum • noun (pl. corrigenda /korrijend /) a thing to be corrected, especially an error in a book.

— ORIGIN Latin.

Corrugate • verb contract into wrinkles or folds.

— ORIGIN Latin corrugare ‘to wrinkle’.

Corsage • noun 1 a spray of flowers worn pinned to a woman’s clothes. 2 the bodice of a woman’s dress.

— ORIGIN French, from Old French cors ‘body’.

Cortege • noun a solemn procession, especially for a funeral.

— ORIGIN Italian corteggio ‘entourage or retinue’.

Corvette • noun a small warship designed for convoy escort duty.

— ORIGIN French, from Dutch korf, denoting a kind of ship.

Cosset • verb (cosseted, cosseting) care for and protect in an overindulgent way.

— ORIGIN orginally denoting a lamb brought up by hand, later a spoiled child: probably from Old English, ‘cottar’.

Countermand • verb 1 revoke (an order). 2 declare (voting) invalid.

— ORIGIN Latin contramandare, from mandare ‘to order’.

Cower • verb crouch down or shrink back in fear.

— ORIGIN Low German kuren ‘lie in wait’.

Cowry • noun (pl. cowries) a marine gastropod mollusc with a smooth, glossy, domed shell with a long, narrow opening.

— ORIGIN Hindi.

Coxcomb • noun 1 archaic a vain and conceited man; a dandy. 2 variant spelling of COCKSCOMB.

Coxswain • noun 1 the steersman of a boat. 2 the senior petty officer in a small ship or submarine in the Royal Navy.

— ORIGIN from obsolete cock ‘small boat’ + SWAIN.

Cozen • verb literary trick or deceive.

— ORIGIN perhaps from obsolete Italian cozzonare ‘to cheat’.

Crag • noun a steep or rugged cliff or rock face.

— ORIGIN Celtic.

Craggy • adjective (craggier, craggiest) 1 having many crags. 2 (of a man’s face) attractively rugged and rough-textured.

— DERIVATIVES craggily adverb cragginess noun.

Cranium • noun (pl. craniums or crania /krayni /) the skull, especially the part enclosing the brain.

— ORIGIN Latin, from Greek kranion.

Cranny • noun (pl. crannies) a small, narrow space or opening.

— ORIGIN Latin crena ‘notch’.

Cravat • noun a strip of fabric worn by men round the neck and tucked inside an open-necked shirt.

— ORIGIN French cravate, from Cravate ‘Croat’, because of the scarves worn by Croatian mercenaries in 17th-century France.

Craven • adjective contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.

— DERIVATIVES cravenly adverb.

— ORIGIN from obsolete cravant defeated, perhaps from Old French cravanter ‘crush, overwhelm’.

Creche • noun Brit. a nursery where babies and young children are cared for during the working day.

— ORIGIN French, related to CRIB.

Credit Foncier • noun A company licensed for the purpose of carrying out improvements, by means of loans and advances upon real securities.

Crenellated • adjective (of a building) having battlements.

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/cockscomb

— ORIGIN from Latin crena ‘notch’.

Creole • noun 1 a person of mixed European and black descent. 2 a descendant of European settlers in the Caribbean or Central or South America. 3 a white descendant of French settlers in Louisiana. 4 a mother tongue formed from the contact of a European language with another language, especially an African language.

— ORIGIN French, from Spanish criollo, probably from Portuguese crioulo ‘black person born in Brazil’.

Crestfallen • adjective sad and disappointed.

— ORIGIN originally referring to an animal with a fallen or drooping crest.

Cretin • noun 1 a stupid person. 2 Medicine, dated a person who is deformed and mentally handicapped because of congenital thyroid deficiency.

— DERIVATIVES cretinism noun.

— ORIGIN from Swiss French crestin ‘Christian’, apparently used to convey a reminder that handicapped people are human.

Cribbage • noun a card game for two players, the objective of which is to play cards whose value reaches exactly 15 or 31.

— ORIGIN related to CRIB.

Crick • noun a painful stiff feeling in the neck or back.

• verb twist or strain (one’s neck or back), causing painful stiffness.


Crock • noun 1 an old person considered to be feeble and useless. 2 Brit. an old worn-out vehicle.

• verb 1 Brit. cause an injury to. 2 crocked N. Amer. drunk.

— ORIGIN originally denoting an old ewe or horse: probably related to CRACK.

• noun 1 an earthenware pot or jar. 2 an item of crockery. 3 N. Amer. informal something considered to be complete nonsense.


Crone • noun an ugly old woman.

— ORIGIN Old French caroigne ‘carrion’.

Cropper • noun 1 a plant which yields a specified crop. 2 a machine or person that cuts or trims something. 3 chiefly US a person who raises a crop, especially as a sharecropper.

— PHRASES come a cropper informal 1 fall heavily. 2 suffer a defeat or disaster.

Crotchety • adjective irritable.

Croupier • noun the person in charge of a gaming table, gathering in and paying out money or tokens.

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/crack

— ORIGIN originally denoting a person standing behind a gambler to give advice: from Old French cropier ‘pillion rider’.

Cryogenics • plural noun treated as sing. 1 the branch of physics concerned with the production and effects of very low temperatures. 2 another term for CRYONICS.

— DERIVATIVES cryogenic adjective.

— ORIGIN from Greek kruos ‘frost’.

Cuckold • noun the husband of an adulteress, regarded as an object of derision.

• verb make (a married man) a cuckold.

— DERIVATIVES cuckoldry noun.

— ORIGIN Old French cucuault, from cucu ‘cuckoo’ (from the cuckoo’s habit of laying its egg in another bird’s nest).

Cud • noun partly digested food returned from the first stomach of cattle or other ruminants to the mouth for further chewing.

— PHRASES chew the cud think or talk reflectively.


Cumulus • noun (pl. cumuli /kyoomyooli/) cloud forming rounded masses heaped on each other above a flat base at fairly low altitude.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘heap’.

Cunnilingus • noun stimulation of the female genitals using the tongue or lips.

— ORIGIN from Latin cunnus ‘vulva’ + lingere ‘lick’.

Cur • noun 1 an aggressive dog, especially a mongrel. 2 informal a despicable man.

— ORIGIN perhaps from Old Norse kurr ‘grumbling’.

Curlicue • noun a decorative curl or twist in calligraphy or in the design of an object.

— ORIGIN from curly + CUE2 (in the sense pigtail), or -cue representing the letter q.

Currawong • noun an Australian songbird with mainly black or grey plumage and a resonant call.

— ORIGIN from an Aboriginal word.

Cutlass • noun a short sword with a slightly curved blade, formerly used by sailors.

— ORIGIN Latin cultellus ‘little knife’.

Cybernetics • plural noun treated as sing. the science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things.

— DERIVATIVES cybernetic adjective.

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/cue_2

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/cryonics

— ORIGIN from Greek kubernetes ‘steersman’.

Cygent • noun young swan.

Reference

Compact Oxford Dictionary

Dictionary.com