|
| cabal |
n. secret political plot |
| cache |
n. place for hiding food, treasure or weapons |
| cacophonous |
(adj.) sounding jarring |
| cacophony |
n. loud unpleasant mixture of discordant sounds |
| cadaver |
n. dead body of a person; corpse ; |
| cadaverous |
adj. looking like a corpse; very pale and gaunt ; |
| cadence |
n. rhythm in sound |
| cadet |
n. young person training to become a policeman or an officer in the armed forces |
| cajole |
v. ~ sb(into/out of sth); ~ sb (into/out of doing sth) persuade sb (to do sth) by flattery or deceit; coax sb |
| calamity |
n. serious misfortune or disaster |
| calculated |
undertaken after considering the likelihood of success or failure |
| caldron |
= cauldron |
| caliber |
ability; capacity |
| calligraphy |
n. beautiful handwriting |
| callous |
adj. cruelly insensitive or unsympathetic |
| callow |
adj. immature and inexperienced |
| callus |
n. area of thick hardened skin |
| calorific |
adj. of or producing heat |
| calumny |
n. false statement about sb, made to damage his character |
| camaraderie |
n. friendship and mutual trust; comradeship ; |
| cameo |
n. small piece of hard stone with a raised design, esp one with two coloured layers so that the background is of a different colour from the design |
| camp |
n. place where people (eg holiday-makers, Scouts or explorers) live temporarily in tents or huts |
| canard |
n. false report or rumour |
| candor |
unreserved, honest, or sincere expression:FORTHRIGHTNESS |
| canine |
adj. of, like or relating to dogs |
| canker |
n. disease that destroys the wood of plants and trees |
| canny |
adj. shrewd and careful, esp in business matters |
| cant |
n. insincere talk, esp about religion or morality; hypocrisy ; |
| cantankerous |
adj. bad-tempered; quarrelsome ; |
| cantata |
n. short musical work, often on a religious subject, sung by soloists and usu a choir, accompanied by an orchestra |
| canter |
n. (of a horse) movement that is faster than a trot but slower than a gallop |
| canto |
n. any of the main divisions of a long poem |
| canvass |
v. ~ (for sth) go around an area asking (people) for (political support) |
| capacious |
adj. that can hold much; roomy |
| capacity |
n. ability to hold or contain sth |
| capillary |
n. any of the very narrow blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the body |
| capitulate |
v. ~ surrender (to sb), esp on agreed conditions |
| caprice |
n. sudden change in attitude or behaviour with no obvious cause; whim ; |
| capricious |
adj. characterized by sudden changes in attitude or behaviour; unpredictable; impulsive |
| capsize |
v. overturn or be overturned |
| caption |
n. short title or heading of an article in a magazine, etc , |
| captious |
adj. fond of criticizingor raising objections about unimportant matters; quibbling ; |
| carafe |
n. glass container in which wine or water are served at meals . |
| carapace |
n. shell on the back of a tortoise or crustacean |
| carat |
n. unit of weight ( |
| carcinogenic |
[ carcinogen: ] "carcino'genic adjective |
| cardinal |
adj. most important; chief; fundamental |
| cardiologist |
n. |
| careen |
v. turn on its side (esp for cleaning or repairing) |
| career |
n. profession or occupation with opportunities for advancement or promotion |
| carefree |
adj. without responsibilities or worries; cheerful |
| caricature |
n. picture,description or imitation of sb/sth that exaggerates certain characteristics in order to amuse or ridicule |
| carillon |
n. set of bells sounded either from a keyboard or mechanically |
| carnage |
n. killing of many people |
| carnal |
adj. of the body; sexual or sensual |
| carnivorous |
adj. flesh-eating |
| carousal |
(noisy party with) drinking and merry-making |
| carping |
adj. tending to make petty complaints; fault-finding |
| carrion |
n. dead and decaying flesh |
| cartographer |
n. person who draws maps and charts |
| cascade |
n. waterfall, esp one of a series forming a large waterfall |
| caste |
n. any of the hereditary Hindu social classes |
| castigation |
severe punishment |
| castrate |
v. remove the testicles of (a male animal or person); geld |
| casual |
adj. happening by chance |
| casualty |
n. person who is killed or injured in war or in an accident |
| cataclysm |
n. sudden violentchange or disaster, eg a flood, an earthquake, a revolution or a war |
| catalyst |
n. substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without itself changing |
| catapult |
n. Y-shaped stick with a piece of elastic attached to it, used esp by children for shooting stones . |
| cataract |
n. large steep waterfall |
| catastrophe |
n. sudden great disaster or misfortune |
| catcall |
n. shrill whistle expressing disapproval |
| catechism |
n. summary of the principles of a religion in the form of questions and answers |
| categorical |
adj. unconditional; absolute; explicit |
| cater |
v. ~ (for sth/sb) provide food and services, esp at social functions |
| catharsis |
n. (instance of the) release of strong feelings through the effect of art, esp drama |
| cathartic |
adj. causing catharsis; purgative ; n. purgative drug |
| catholic |
adj. = Roman Catholic (Roman) |
| caucus |
n. (meeting of the) parliamentary members of a particular political party or any other legislature |
| caulk |
v. make (esp a boat) watertight by filling the seams or joints with waterproof material |
| causal |
adj. of or forming a cause; relating to cause and effect ; |
| caustic |
adj. that can burn or destroy things by chemical action |
| cauterize |
burn with hot iron or caustic |
| cavalcade |
n. procession of people on horseback, in cars, etc |
| cavalier |
n. Cavalier supporter of Charles I in the English Civil War |
| cavil |
v. ~ (at sth) (fml ) make unnecessary complaints (about sth) |
| cede |
v. ~ sth give up one's rights to or possession of sth |
| celerity |
n. quickness |
| celestial |
adj. of the sky |
| celibate |
adj. remaining unmarried, esp for religious reasons |
| cemetery |
n. area of land, not a churchyard, used for burying the dead , |
| censor |
n. person authorized toexamine books, films, plays, letters, etc and remove partswhich are considered indecent, offensive, politically unacceptable or a threat to security |
| censorious |
adj. tending to find faults in people or things; severely critical ; |
| censure |
v. ~ sb criticize sb severely; rebuke sb formally |
| centaur |
n. one of a tribe of creatures with a man's head, arms and upper body on a horse's body and legs |
| centigrade |
adj. of or using a temperature scale with the freezing-point of water at 0 and the boiling-point at 100 |
| centrifugal |
adj. moving away from the centre or axis |
| centrifuge |
n. rotating machine using centrifugal force to separate substances, eg milk and cream |
| centripetal |
adj. moving towards the centre or axis |
| centurion |
n. officer commanding a unit of 100 soldiers |
| cerebral |
adj. of the brain |
| cerebration |
n. working of the brain; thinking ; |
| ceremonious |
adj. full of ceremony; very formal ; |
| certitude |
n. feeling of certainty; lack of doubt ; |
| cessation |
n. action or act of ceasing; pause |
| cession |
n. action of ceding sth, esp land or rights |
| chafe |
v. ~ become irritated or impatient (because of sth) |
| chaff |
n. outer covering of corn, etc, separated from the grain by threshing or winnowing |
| chaffing |
(n.) banter; teasing |
| chagrin |
n. feeling of disappointment or annoyance |
| chalice |
n. large cup for holding wine, esp one from which consecrated wine is drunk at the Eucharist |
| chameleon |
n. any of various types of small lizard that can change colour according to its surroundings |
| champion |
n. person, team, animal or plant that has defeated or excelled all others in a competition |
| championship |
n. contest to decide who is the champion |
| chancellor |
n. head of government in Austria etc |
| chant |
n. simple tune to which psalms or canticles are fitted by singing several syllables or words to the same note |
| chaotic |
adj. in a state of chaos; completely disorganized |
| chapel |
n. small building or room used for Christian worship, eg in a school, prison, large private house, etc |
| chaperon |
n. older person, usu a woman, who looks after a girl or a young unmarried woman on social occasions |
| chaplain |
n. clergyman attached to the chapel of a school, prison, etc, or serving in the armed forces |
| char |
v. (cause sth to) become black by burning; scorch |
| charisma |
n. power to inspire devotion and enthusiasm |
| charlatan |
n. person who falsely claims to have special knowledge or skill, esp in medicine |
| charm |
n. power of pleasing, fascinating or attracting people; attractiveness |
| chary |
adj. ~ (of sth) cautious; wary |
| chase |
v. ~ sb/sth run after in order to capture or overtake sb/sth |
| chasm |
n. deep opening in the ground; abyss; gorge ; |
| chassis |
n. framework on which the body and working parts of a vehicle, radio or television are built , ; . |
| chaste |
adj. not having had sexual intercourse; virgin ; |
| chasten |
v. punish in order to correct or improve; discipline ; |
| chastise |
v. punish (sb) severely, esp by beating |
| chauvinist |
n, adj displaying or feeling chauvinism |
| check |
v. ~ (up) make sure of sth by examining or investigating it |
| checkered |
adj. chequered |
| cherubic |
adj. with a plump and innocent face |
| chicanery |
n. use of clever but misleading talk in order to trick sb, esp in legal matters; dishonest practice |
| chide |
v. ~ sb (for sth) (dated or fml ) rebuke; scold |
| chimerical |
adj. unreal; fanciful |
| chip |
n. thin piece cut or broken off from wood, stone, china, glass, etc |
| chisel |
n. tool with a sharp cutting edge at the end, for shaping wood, stone or metal |
| chivalrous |
adj. showing the qualities of a perfect knight |
| choice |
n. ~ act of choosing between two or more possibilities |
| choir |
n. organized group of singers, esp one that performs in church services |
| choleric |
adj. easily angered; bad-tempered ; |
| chore |
n. small routine task |
| choreography |
n. steps for ballet and dancing on stage |
| chortle |
n. loud chuckle of pleasure or amusement |
| chorus |
n. group of singers; choir |
| chronic |
adj. lasting for a long time; continually recurring |
| chronicle |
n. record of historical events in the order in which they happened |
| chuckle |
v. laugh quietly or to oneself |
| churlish |
adj. It seems churlish to refuse such a generous offer |
| ciliated |
having minute hairs |
| cipher |
n. (method of) secret writing in which a set of letters or symbols is used to represent others; code |
| circlet |
n. circular band, eg of precious metal, flowers, etc, worn round the head as an ornament |
| circuit |
n. line, route or journey round a place |
| circuitous |
adj. long and indirect; roundabout |
| circumlocution |
n. use of many words to say sth that could be said in a few words |
| circumscribe |
v. restrict (sth) within limits; confine |
| circumspect |
adj. considering everything carefully before acting; cautious; wary ; |
| circumvent |
v. find a way of overcoming or avoiding (sth) |
| cistern |
an artificial reservoir (as an underground tank) for storing liquids and especially water (as rainwater) |
| citadel |
fortress |
| cite |
quote; commend |
| civil |
adj. of or relating to the citizens of a country |
| clairvoyant |
n, adj having such power |
| clamber |
v. climb, esp with difficulty or effort, using the hands and feet |
| clamor |
shout, complain with a lot of noise |
| clandestine |
adj. done secretly; kept secret; surreptitious |
| clangor |
make a loud resonant noise |
| clap |
v. ~ sth (together) strike (the palms of one's hands) together |
| clapper |
n. piece of metal, etc fixed loosely inside a bell and making it sound by striking the side |
| clarion |
adj. loud, clear and rousing |
| clasp |
n. device for fastening things together |
| claustrophobia |
n. abnormal fear of being in an enclosed space |
| clavicle |
n. collar-bone . |
| cleave |
v. break or split, esp along a natural line |
| cleft |
n. crack or split occurring naturally |
| clemency |
n. mildness (esp of weather) |
| cliche |
n. phrase or idea which is used so often that it has become stale or meaningless |
| clientele |
n. customers or clients as a group |
| climactic |
adj. forming a climax |
| clime |
n. (arch or joc ) country; climate(1b) |
| clip |
n. any of various wire or metal devices used for holding things together |
| clipper |
n. clippers instrument for clipping nails, hair, hedges, etc |
| clique |
n. small group of people, often with shared interests, who associate closely and exclude others from their group |
| cloister |
n. covered passage around an open court or quadrangle, with a wall on the outer side and columns or arches on the inner side, esp within a convent or college, or attached to a cathedral |
| clot |
n. half-solid lump formed from a liquid, eg from blood when it is exposed to the air |
| clout |
n. heavy blow with the hand or a hard object |
| clown |
n. comic entertainer who paints his face and dresses in a ridiculous way and performs funny or foolish tricks |
| cloying |
adj. sickeningly sweet |
| coagulate |
v. change from a liquid to a thick and semi-solid state; clot |
| coalesce |
v. combine and form one group, substance, mass, etc |
| coalition |
n. action of uniting into one body or group |
| coax |
v. (~ sb sth) persuade sb gently or gradually |
| coda |
n. final passage of a piece of music |
| coddle |
v. treat with great care and tenderness |
| codicil |
n. later addition to a will, esp one that changes part of it |
| codify |
v. arrange (laws, rules, etc) systematically into a code(3a) |
| coercion |
n. coercing or being coerced |
| coeval |
adj. ~ (fml ) existing at the same time or having the same age as sb/sth else; contemporary ; |
| cog |
each of a series of teeth on the edge of a wheel, that fit between those of a similar wheel, so that each wheel can cause the other one to move |
| cogent |
adj. convincing; strong |
| cogitate |
v. ~ sth (fml or joc ) think deeply about sth |
| cognate |
adj. ~ (linguistics ) (of a word or language) having the same source or origin as another one |
| cognitive |
adj. of or relating to cognition |
| cognizance |
n. knowledge; awareness |
| cohabit |
v. ~ (fml ) (usu of an unmarried couple) live together |
| cohere |
v. stick together in a mass or group |
| cohesion |
n. tendency to stick together; unity |
| cohorts |
[ cohort: ] one of the ten units of between 300 and 600 men in an ancient Roman Legion |
| coiffure |
n. way in which (esp a woman's) hair is arranged; hairstyle ; |
| coin |
n. piece of metal used as money |
| coincidence |
n. occurrence of similar events or circumstances at the same time by chance |
| coincident |
adj. happening at the same time by chance |
| colander |
n. metal or plastic bowl with many small holes in it, used to drain water from vegetables, etc, esp after cooking |
| collaborate |
v. ~ (on sth) work together (with sb), esp to create or produce sth |
| collage |
n. fixing pieces of paper, cloth, photographs, etc to a surface |
| collate |
v. ~ A and B/~ A with B examine and compare in order to find the differences between them |
| collateral |
adj. side by side; parallel ; |
| collation |
n. action of collating |
| collected |
adj. in control of oneself; calm |
| colloquial |
adj. belonging to or suitable for normal conversation but not formal speech or writing |
| colloquy |
n. conversation |
| collusion |
n. ~ ~ (between sb and sb) (fml ) secret agreement or co-operation between two or more people with the aim of deceiving or cheating others |
| colossal |
adj. very large; immense; huge |
| colossus |
n. statue much larger than life size |
| coma |
n. state of deep unconsciousness, usu lasting a long time and caused by severe injury or illness |
| comatose |
adj. in a coma; deeply unconscious ; |
| combustible |
adj. that can catch fire and burn easily |
| comeback |
a return to a former position, status, etc. |
| comely |
having a pleasing appearance:not homely or plain |
| comestible |
something fit to be eaten |
| comeuppance |
desert punishment |
| comity |
friendly social atmosphere:social harmony |
| commandeer |
v. take possession or control of forcibly or for official (esp military) purposes |
| commemorate |
v. keep (a great person, event, etc) in people's memories |
| commemorative |
adj. helping to commemorate |
| commensurate |
adj~(fml ) in the right proportion (to sth); appropriate |
| commiserate |
v. ~ (on/over sth) (fml ) feel, or say that one feels, sympathy |
| commodious |
adj. having a lot of space available for use; roomy |
| commonplace |
adj. ordinary; not interesting |
| commonwealth |
n. independent State or community |
| communal |
adj. for the use of all; shared |
| commune |
v. ~ ~ (together) talk to sb intimately; feel close to sb/sth |
| compact |
adj. closely packed together |
| compartment |
n. any of the sections into which a larger area or enclosed space, esp a railway carriage, is divided |
| compassion |
n. ~ pity for the sufferings of others, making one want to help them |
| compatible |
adj. ~ (of people, ideas, arguments, principles, etc) suited; that can exist together |
| compelling |
adj. extremely interesting and exciting, so that one has to pay attention |
| compendium |
n. ~ (of sth) brief but full account; summary |
| compilation |
n. compiling |
| compile |
v. ~ sth (for/from sth) collect (information) and arrange it in a book, list, report, etc |
| complacency |
n. ~ (usu derog ) calm feeling of satisfactionwith oneself, one's work, etc |
| complacent |
adj. ~ (usu derog ) calmly satisfied with oneself, one's work, etc |
| complaisant |
adj. ready to please; obliging |
| complement |
n. ~ thing that goes well or suitably with sth else, or makes it complete |
| complementary |
adj. ~ combining well to form a balanced whole |
| compliance |
n. ~ action in accordance with a request or command; obedience |
| compliant |
adj. ~ (usu derog ) (too) willing to comply (with other people, with rules, etc) |
| complicity |
n. ~ action of taking part with another person (in a crime or some other wrongdoing); shared responsibility |
| component |
n. any of the parts of which sth is made |
| comport |
v. ~ oneself with sth conduct oneself in the specified way; behave |
| compost |
n. mixture of decayed organic matter, manure, etc added to soil to improve the growth of plants |
| composure |
n. state of being calm in mind or behaviour |
| compound |
n. thing made up of two or more separate things combined together |
| comprehend |
v. understand fully |
| comprehensive |
adj. that includes everything |
| compress |
v. ~ sth press sth together; force sth into a small(er) space |
| comprise |
v. have as parts or members; be made up of |
| compromise |
n. giving up of certain demands by each side in a dispute, so that an agreement may be reached which satisfies both to some extent |
| compulsion |
n. ~ compelling or being compelled |
| compulsive |
adj. extremely interesting; fascinating |
| compulsory |
adj. that must be done; required by the rules, etc; obligatory |
| compunction |
n. ~ (fml ) (usu in negative sentences ) feeling of guilt or regret for one's action |
| compute |
v. ~ sth calculate sth with a computer |
| concatenate |
to link together in a series or chain |
| concave |
adj. curved inwards like the inner surface of a sphere or ball . |
| concede |
v. ~ sth admit that sth is true, valid, proper, etc |
| conceit |
n. excessive pride in oneself or in one's powers, abilities, etc |
| concentric |
adj. ~ (of circles) having the same centre |
| conception |
n. conceiving or being conceived |
| concerted |
adj. arranged or done in co-operation |
| concession |
n. ~ conceding |
| conciliatory |
adj. intended or likely to conciliate |
| concise |
adj. giving a lot of information in few words; brief |
| conclave |
n. private meeting |
| conclusive |
adj. convincing; ending doubt |
| concoct |
v. make (sth) by mixing ingredients (esp ones that do not usu go together) |
| concomitant |
adj. ~ (fml ) accompanying; happening together |
| concord |
n. harmony between people; lack of quarrelling and unfriendliness |
| concordat |
n. agreement, esp between a State and the Church on church affairs |
| concur |
v. (fml ) ~ (with sb/sth) (in sth) agree; express agreement |
| concurrent |
adj. ~ existing, happening or done at the same time |
| condescend |
v. do sth that one regards as undignified or below one's level of importance |
| condign |
adj. (of punishment, etc) severe and well deserved |
| condiments |
[ condiment: ] any spice or sauce such as salt, pepper, mustard, etc. |
| condole |
v. ~ with sb (fml ) express sympathy (for a misfortune, bereavement, etc) , |
| condone |
v. treat or regard as if it were not serious or wrong; overlook; forgive |
| conducive |
adj. ~ to sth allowing or helping sth to happen |
| conduit |
n. large pipe through which liquids flow |
| confidant |
n. trusted person to whom one speaks about one's private affairs or secrets |
| confide |
v. ~ sth to sb tell (a secret) to sb |
| confidence |
n. ~ (in sb/sth) firm trust (in sb, in sb's ability, or in what is said, reported, etc) |
| confidential |
adj. to be kept secret; not to be made known to others |
| confine |
v. ~ sb/sth keep (a person or an animal) in a restricted space |
| confiscate |
v. take possession of by authority, without payment or compensation |
| conflagration |
n. great and destructive fire |
| confluence |
n. place where two rivers flow together and become one |
| conformist |
n. person who conforms to accepted behaviour, the established religion, etc |
| conformity |
n. ~ (fml ) (behaviour, etc) conforming to established rules, customs, etc , |
| confound |
v. puzzle and surprise (sb); perplex |
| congeal |
v. (cause to) become thick or solid, esp by cooling |
| congenial |
adj. pleasing because of similarities in temperament, interests,etc |
| congenital |
adj. present from or before birth |
| conglomerate |
n. materials gathered together into a rounded mass |
| conglomeration |
n. assortment of different things gathered together or found in the same place |
| congruence |
correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship |
| congruent |
adj. having the same size and shape |
| conifer |
n. type of tree that bears cones (cone 3) |
| conjecture |
v. ~ (fml ) form (and express) an opinion not based on firm evidence; guess |
| conjugal |
adj. of marriage or the relationship between a husband and a wife |
| conjure |
v. do clever tricks which seem magical, esp with quick movements of the hands |
| connivance |
n. ~ conniving (at a wrong action) |
| connoisseur |
n. person with good judgement on matters in which appreciation of fineness or beauty is needed, esp the fine arts |
| connotation |
n. idea which a word makes one think of in addition to the main meaning |
| connubial |
adj. of marriage; of husband and wife |
| consanguineous |
adj. Descended from the same parent or ancestor. |
| consanguinity |
n. relationship by being descended from the same family |
| conscientious |
adj. careful to do what one ought to do, and do it as well as one can |
| conscript |
v. ~ sb force sb by law to serve in the armed forces |
| consecrate |
v. bring into religious use or (sb) into a religious office by a special ceremony |
| consensus |
n. ~ agreement in opinion; collective opinion |
| consequential |
adj. following as a result or an effect (esp indirect) |
| conservatory |
n. room with glass walls and roof used to protect plants from cold, built against an outside wall of a house, and with a door into the house . |
| consign |
v. ~ sb/sth to sb/sth hand over sb/sth to sb/sth; give sb/sth up to sb/sth |
| consistency |
n. (approv ) quality of being consistent(1) |
| console |
v. ~ sb give comfort or sympathy to (sb who is unhappy, disappointed, etc) |
| consolidation |
n. consolidating or being consolidated |
| consonance |
n. harmony |
| consonant |
n. speech sound produced by completely or partially obstructing the air being breathed out through the mouth |
| consort |
n. husband or wife, esp of a ruler |
| conspiracy |
n. ~ act of conspiring, esp joint planning of a crime |
| conspire |
v. ~ (against sb); ~ (together) (against sb) make secret plans (with others), esp to do wrong |
| consternation |
n. surprise and anxiety; great dismay |
| constituency |
n. (body of voters living in a) district having its own elected representative in parliament |
| constituent |
adj. forming or helping to make a whole |
| constitution |
n. laws and principles according to which a state is governed |
| constraint |
n. con-straining or being constrained |
| construe |
v. ~ sth (fml ) explain the meaning of (words, sentences, actions, etc); interpret sth |
| consummate |
adj. highly skilled; perfect |
| contagion |
n. spreadingof disease by being close to or touching other people |
| contaminate |
v. ~ sth/sb make sth/sb impure by adding dangerous or disease-carrying substances |
| contempt |
n. ~ (for sb/sth) feeling that sb/sth is completely worthless and cannot be respected |
| contend |
v. ~ with/against sb/sth; ~ for sth struggle in order to overcome a rival, competitor or difficulty |
| contention |
n. ~ contending (contend 1); competition |
| contentious |
exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes |
| contest |
dispute |
| context |
writings preceding and following passage quoted |
| contiguous |
adj. ~ (fml ) touching; neighbouring; near |
| continence |
n. control of one's feelings, esp in sexual matters |
| contingent |
adj. ~ on/upon sth dependent on sth that may or may not happen |
| contortions |
[ contortion: ] the act or process of contorting or the state of being contorted |
| contraband |
n. goods brought into or taken out of a country illegally |
| contravene |
v. act or be contrary to (a law, etc); break |
| contrite |
adj. filled with or showing deep regret for having done wrong; repentant |
| contrivance |
n. ~ device or tool, esp one made by an individual for a particular purpose |
| contrive |
v. plan (sth) cleverly or deceitfully; invent; design |
| contrived |
adj. planned in advance rather than being spontaneous or genuine |
| controvert |
v. deny the truth of (sth); argue about |
| contumacious |
adj. obstinate and disobedient |
| contusion |
n. bruise |
| conundrum |
n. question, usu with a pun in its answer, that is asked for fun; riddle ; |
| convene |
v. summon to come together; arrange (a meeting, etc) |
| convention |
n. conference of members of a profession, political party, etc |
| conventional |
adj. (often derog ) based on convention(2a) |
| converge |
v. ~ ~ (at sth) (of lines, moving objects, etc) (come towards each other and) meet at a point |
| conversant |
adj. ~ with sth having knowledge of sth; familiar with sth |
| converse |
v. ~ (about sth); ~ (together) (fml ) talk |
| convert |
v. ~ (sth) (from sth) (into/to sth) change (sth) from one form or use to another |
| convex |
adj. with a curved surface like the outside of a ball |
| conveyance |
n. conveying |
| conviction |
n. ~ the convicting of a person for a crime |
| convivial |
adj. cheerful and sociable; fond of being with others |
| convoke |
v. call together or summon (a meeting, etc) |
| convoluted |
adj. coiled; twisted |
| convulsion |
n. sudden violent uncontrollable body movement, caused by contraction of muscles |
| copious |
adj. plentiful; abundant |
| coquette |
n. girl or woman who flirts |
| cordial |
adj. sincere and friendly |
| cordon |
n. line or ring of policemen, soldiers, etc, esp one which guards sth or prevents people entering or leaving an area |
| cornice |
n. ornamental moulding, eg in plaster, round the walls of a room, just below the ceiling . |
| cornucopia |
n. ornamental animal's horn shown in art as overflowing with flowers, fruit and corn, symbolizing abundance , |
| corollary |
n. ~ (fml ) natural consequence or result; thing that logically must be so, once sth else has been established |
| coroner |
n. official who investigates any violent or suspicious death |
| corporeal |
adj. of or for the body; bodily |
| corpulent |
adj. (of a person or his body) fat |
| corpus |
n. collection of written (or sometimes spoken) texts |
| corpuscle |
n. any of the red or white cells in the blood |
| correlate |
v. ~ ~ A and/with B have a mutual relation or connection, esp of affecting or depending on each other; (try to) show such a relation or connection between sth and sth else |
| correlation |
n. ~ ~ (between A and B) mutual relationship |
| corroborate |
v. confirm or give support to |
| corrode |
v. ~ (away) be destroyed or destroy (sth) slowly, esp by chemical action |
| corrosive |
n, adj that corrodes |
| corrugated |
adj. folded, wrinkled or furrowed |
| cosmic |
adj. of the whole universe or cosmos |
| coterie |
n. small group of people with shared activities, interests, tastes, etc, esp one that tends to be exclusive |
| countenance |
n. (expression on sb's) face |
| countermand |
v. cancel (a command or an order already given), esp by giving a new and opposite one , |
| counterpart |
n. person or thing that corresponds to or has the same function as sb or sth else |
| coup |
n. surprising and successful action |
| couple |
n. two people or things that are seen together or associated, esp a man and woman together |
| courier |
n. person employed to guide and assist a group of tourists |
| court |
n. place where trials or other law cases are held |
| covenant |
n. formal agreement that is legally binding |
| covert |
adj. concealed; not open; secret |
| covetous |
adj. ~ (derog ) having or showing a strong desire to possess (esp sth that belongs to sb else) |
| cow |
n. fully-grown female of any animal of the ox family, esp the domestic kind kept by farmers to produce milk and beef |
| cower |
v. crouch down or move backwards in fear or distress |
| coy |
abbr. = company |
| cozen |
cheat; hoodwink; swindle |
| crabbed |
adj. small and difficult to read |
| craft |
n. occupation, esp one that needs skill in the use of the hands; such a skill or technique |
| crass |
adj. (fml derog , ) complete; very great; utter |
| crave |
v. ~ sth have a strong desire for sth |
| craven |
adj. cowardly |
| credence |
n. attach/give credence to sth (fml ) believe (gossip, reports, etc) |
| credential |
something that entitles a person to confidence, authority, etc. |
| credo |
n. creed |
| credulity |
n. too great a readiness to believe things |
| creed |
n. system of beliefs or opinions, esp religious beliefs |
| creep |
v. move slowly, quietly or stealthily, esp crouching low |
| cremate |
v. burn to ashes, esp ceremonially at a funeral |
| crescendo |
adj. adv of or with increasing loudness |
| crest |
n. tuft of feathers on a bird's head |
| crestfallen |
adj. sad because of unexpected failure, disappointment, etc |
| crevice |
n. narrow opening or crack in a rock, wall, etc , |
| cringe |
v. ~ move back or lower one's body in fear; cower |
| crinkle |
n. wrinkle or thin crease, esp in material such as tin foil or paper, or in skin , |
| criteria |
n. (pl of criterion) standard by which sth is judged |
| crochet |
n. method of making fabric by looping thread into a pattern of connected stitches, using a hooked needle (called a crochet-hook) |
| crone |
n. ugly withered old woman |
| cross |
n. mark made by drawing one line across another, eg x or + + |
| crossbreed |
Also: interbreed to breed (animals or plants) using parents of different races, varieties, breeds, etc. |
| crotchety |
adj. bad-tempered |
| crust |
n. hard outer surface of a loaf of bread; pastry covering of a pie, tart, etc |
| crux |
n. most vital or difficult part of a matter, an issue, etc |
| crypt |
n. room beneath the floor of a church |
| cryptic |
adj. with a meaning that is hidden or not easily understood; mysterious |
| cubicle |
n. small compartment made by separating off part of a larger room, eg for dressing, undressing or sleeping in |
| cue |
n. ~ thing said or done to signal sb's turn to say or do sth, esp in a theatrical or other performance |
| cuisine |
n. (style of) cooking |
| culinary |
adj. of or for cooking |
| cull |
v. kill (a certain number of usu weaker animals) in a herd, in order to reduce its size |
| culmination |
n. eventual conclusion or result |
| culpable |
adj. ~ deserving blame; blameworthy |
| culprit |
n. person who has done sth wrong; offender |
| culvert |
n. drain that crosses beneath a road, railway, etc; underground channel for electrical cables ; |
| cumbersome |
adj. heavy and difficult to carry, wear, etc |
| cumulative |
adj. gradually increasing in amount, force, etc by one addition after another |
| cunning |
adj. clever at deceiving people |
| cupidity |
n. greed, esp for money or possessions |
| curator |
n. person in charge of a museum, an art gallery, etc |
| curb |
n. ~ thing that restrains or controls |
| curfew |
n. signal or time after which people must stay indoors until the next day |
| curmudgeon |
n. bad-tempered person |
| cursive |
adj. with letters rounded and joined together |
| cursory |
adj. done quickly and not thoroughly; (too) hurried |
| curtail |
v. make shorter or less; reduce |
| cynical |
adj. of or like a cynic |
| cynosure |
n. person or thing that attracts everybody's attention or admiration; centre of attraction |
