English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

C-suite

noun

The most senior executives in a company, whose job titles typically begin with 'chief' — the chief executive, chief financial officer, chief operating officer and so on.

c'est la vie

phrase

Said to accept a disappointment calmly, on the basis that setbacks are simply part of life.

CA

abbreviation

California, in postal addresses and other abbreviated writing.

cab

noun

A taxi.

cabal

noun

A small group secretly plotting together, especially in politics.

caballero

noun

A Spanish or Latin American gentleman or horseman.

cabana

noun

A small shelter or hut, especially at a beach or pool.

cabaret

noun

Live entertainment performed in a restaurant or club, typically featuring music, song, and dance.

cabbage

noun

A leafy vegetable grown as a round, tightly packed head, eaten cooked or raw.

cabbie

noun

Informal term for a taxi driver.

Cabe

name

A surname, a reduced form of McCabe.

cabernet

noun

Short for Cabernet Sauvignon, a variety of red wine grape and the full-bodied red wine made from it.

cabeza

noun

In Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking, meat from the head of a cow, especially the cheek, often slow-cooked for tacos.

cabin

noun

A small, simply built house, especially one made of logs in a rural or wooded area.

cabinet

noun

A piece of furniture with doors or drawers used for storage or display.

cabinetmaker

noun

A craftsperson who builds fine wooden furniture and cabinets.

cable

noun

A thick, strong rope or bundle of wires used to pull, support, or carry electricity or signals.

cabled

adj

Fitted with, or made using, cables.

cablegram

noun

(dated) A telegram sent through a cable laid under the sea.

cablet

noun

A thin, small cable.

caboodle

noun

(informal) An entire group or collection of things, usually in the phrase "the whole kit and caboodle."

cabool

name

The name of a city in Texas County, Missouri, United States.

caboose

noun

The last car on a freight train, once used as sleeping and cooking quarters for the crew.

Cabot

name

A French surname, notably borne by explorer John Cabot, and a town in Vermont.

Cabrera

name

A Spanish surname, and the name of towns in Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

cabriolet

noun

A car with a roof that can be folded down or taken off.

Cabron

noun

(vulgar, slang, from Spanish) An insulting term for a man; roughly "bastard" or "jerk."

Cabs

name

A nickname for Cabaret Voltaire, an English music group formed in Sheffield in 1973.

Caca

noun

(informal, often childish) Feces; poop.

cacao

noun

The dried and fermented seeds of the tropical cacao tree, from which chocolate and cocoa are made.

cache

noun

A hidden store of items kept for future use.

cache memory

noun

A small pool of very fast memory built into or beside a processor that holds copies of the data and instructions it has used most recently, so that they can be fetched again without waiting for slower main memory.

cachet

noun

A stamp or seal used to close or mark a letter.

cachexia

noun

Cachexia is a severe loss of muscle and body weight brought on by an ongoing, chronic illness.

cack

noun

An unpleasant, out-of-tune sound.

cackle

noun

A harsh, broken sound like a hen's cry, or a laugh that sounds similar.

cackling

noun

The act or sound of cackling; a series of harsh, broken cries or laughs.

cacodaemon

noun

An evil spirit, thought of as the opposite of a good one.

cacodemon

noun

An evil spirit or demon.

cacoethes

noun

A strong, uncontrollable urge to do something.

cacography

noun

Spelling or punctuation that is poor, especially when it is seen as typical of a language or dialect.

cacophonous

adj

Full of harsh, unpleasant sounds that clash together.

cacophony

noun

A harsh mixture of loud, clashing sounds.

cactaceous

adj

Belonging to, or similar to, the cactus family.

cactoid

noun

A plant belonging to a particular group within the cactus family.

cactus

noun

A spiny, fleshy-stemmed plant, usually leafless, adapted to hot, dry desert climates.

cad

noun

(dated) A man who behaves dishonorably, especially toward women.

cadaver

noun

A dead human body, especially one used for medical study or dissection.

cadaverous

adj

Resembling a corpse, suggesting death, or looking like a dead body.

caddie

noun

A person hired to carry a golfer's clubs and offer advice during a round.

caddy

noun

A small box or container used to hold and organize items, such as tea, cutlery, or cleaning supplies.

Cade

noun

(chiefly British, of livestock) An orphaned young animal raised by hand.

cadence

noun

A rhythmic flow or beat, especially in speech, music, or movement.

cadency

noun

(heraldry) A set method used to mark the difference between family members' coats of arms.

cadet

noun

A student training to become a military or police officer.

cadette

noun

A woman or girl training as a cadet.

cadge

verb

To tie something up or fix it firmly in place.

Cadillac

name

A brand of luxury automobile, a marque of General Motors since 1909.

Cadiz

name

A historic port city in Andalusia, Spain, also the name of several places in the Philippines and the United States.

cadmium

noun

A soft, silvery-white metallic chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48.

Cadmus

name

A Phoenician prince in Greek mythology, credited with founding Thebes and introducing the alphabet to Greece.

cadre

noun

A small, tightly organized group of trained people who form the core of a larger organization or movement.

Cady

name

A surname, and a town in Wisconsin named after early settler Jacob Cady.

caecum

noun

The caecum is a pouch at the start of the large intestine, connecting it to the small intestine.

Caesar

name

An ancient Roman family name, most famously borne by Julius Caesar, and later used as a title for Roman and other emperors.

Caesarean

noun

Short for "Caesarean section," a surgical delivery of a baby through an incision in the mother's abdomen.

caesarian

adj

Connected with, or done in the style of, Julius Caesar.

caesaropapism

noun

Caesaropapism is a system in which a political ruler also holds authority over religious or church affairs.

caesious

adj

Having a pale, greyish-blue colour.

caesium

noun

A soft, golden, highly reactive metallic element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55.

caf

noun

A café; an informal spot for coffee and a light meal.

cafe

noun

A small shop selling everyday items, originally one that also sold coffee and other basic food and drink.

cafeteria

noun

A self-service restaurant or dining hall where people select food at a counter and carry it to a table.

Caffee

name

A surname.

caffein

noun

A dated spelling of caffeine.

caffeinate

verb

To put caffeine into something.

caffeinated

adj

Containing caffeine, either naturally or as an added ingredient, as in coffee, tea or fizzy drinks.

caffeine

noun

A natural stimulant found in coffee, tea, and cacao that increases alertness and reduces tiredness.

Cafferty

name

An Irish surname, a reduced form of McCafferty.

Caffrey

name

An Irish surname, a reduced form of McCaffrey.

caftan

noun

A long, loose, wide-sleeved robe that hangs from the shoulders without a fitted waist, worn as a dress, a beach cover-up or loungewear.

cag

noun

A small barrel or keg.

cage

noun

A structure of bars or mesh used to enclose and contain an animal or person.

caged

adj

Kept confined inside a cage.

cagey

adj

Careful and guarded about what you say or reveal; reluctant to share information.

caginess

noun

Being careful and unwilling to share information or give a straight answer.

Cagney

name

An Irish surname, notably borne by actor James Cagney.

Cahill

name

An Irish surname.

Cai

name

A Chinese surname.

Caiaphas

name

A Jewish high priest in the first century CE, described in the New Testament as involved in the trial of Jesus.

caiman

noun

A crocodile-like reptile found in Central and South America, related to alligators.

Cain

name

In the Bible, the son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel; also used as a male given name and surname.

Caine

name

A surname, notably borne by actor Michael Caine.

caird

noun

A person who travels from place to place mending pots and pans, or a homeless wanderer.

cairn

noun

A pile of stones stacked up as a marker, memorial, or landmark.

Cairns

name

A Scottish or Irish surname, and a city in Queensland, Australia named after Governor William Cairns.

Cairo

name

The capital and largest city of Egypt.

Cait

name

A short form of the female given names Caitlin or Caitlyn.

Caitlin

name

A feminine given name of Irish origin, equivalent to Catherine.

Caitlyn

name

A feminine given name, a modern spelling variant of Caitlin.

cajole

verb

To gently talk someone into doing something they don't really want to do, often with compliments or promises.

Cajun

noun

A member of the French-speaking community in Louisiana descended from Acadian settlers.

cake

noun

A sweet baked dessert made from flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients.

caked

adj

Covered with a thick, hardened layer of something.

cakewalk

noun

Something that is very easy to do, requiring little effort.

cal

noun

Slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), used in building and farming.

calabash

noun

A tree (known as the calabash tree; Crescentia cujete) native to Central and South America, the West Indies, and southern Florida, bearing large, round fruit used to make containers (sense 3); the fruit of this tree.

Calabria

name

A region forming the "toe" of Italy's boot-shaped peninsula.

Calais

name

A port city in northern France, on the English Channel, close to England.

calamander

noun

A hard brown wood with black streaks, from India and Sri Lanka, used to make furniture.

calamari

noun

Squid served as food, often cut into rings and fried.

calamitous

adj

Extremely damaging or disastrous.

calamity

noun

A serious event that causes great damage, suffering, or loss.

calamus

noun

A marsh plant with sword-shaped leaves, also known as sweet flag.

calcareous

adj

Made of, containing, or looking like limestone or chalk.

calceate

adj

Wearing shoes, especially used of religious orders that do not go barefoot.

calceolate

adj

Shaped like a slipper.

calcite

noun

A common crystal form of calcium carbonate, found in rocks such as limestone, chalk and marble.

calcium

noun

A soft, silvery-white chemical element (symbol Ca) essential for healthy bones and teeth.

calculable

adj

That can be worked out by calculation.

calculatable

adj

That can be worked out by calculation; calculable.

calculate

verb

To work out a number, amount, or answer using mathematics.

calculated

adj

Worked out precisely through calculation.

calculating

adj

Coldly scheming and focused on personal advantage.

calculation

noun

The process of working out a number or amount using mathematics.

calculator

noun

A device, often electronic, used to perform mathematical calculations.

calculus

noun

A branch of mathematics dealing with rates of change and the accumulation of quantities.

Calcutta

noun

A betting pool in which participants bid to "own" a competitor or team in an event, then split the winnings if their pick does well.

Calder

name

A surname, and the name of several rivers in England and Scotland.

caldera

noun

A big hollow left behind when the top of a volcano collapses in on itself.

Calderon

name

A Spanish surname, an anglicized form of Calderón.

Calderone

name

An Italian surname.

caldron

noun

An archaic spelling of cauldron.

Caldwell

name

An English habitational surname, and the name of several towns in the United States, meaning "cold spring."

cale

noun

Any of several marine fish in the family Odacidae, found mainly off Australia and New Zealand.

calean

noun

A Persian oriental tobacco pipe with a flexible tube.

Caleb

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, borne in the Bible by an Israelite who accompanied Joshua into Canaan.

Caledonia

name

The Latin and poetic name for Scotland, also used for various places in Canada and the United States.

calendar

noun

A system for dividing time into days, months, and years.

calf

noun

A young cow, bull, or the young of certain other large animals such as elephants or whales.

calfling

noun

A young or small calf.

Calgary

name

The largest city in Alberta, Canada, named after a village on the Isle of Mull in Scotland.

Cali

name

An informal nickname for California, also a major city in western Colombia.

caliber

noun

The internal diameter of a gun barrel, or the diameter of a bullet.

calibogus

noun

A drink made by mixing rum with spruce beer.

calibrate

verb

To adjust an instrument or measurement so it matches a known, accurate standard.

calibrated

adj

Adjusted precisely to a known standard; carefully measured or tuned.

calibration

noun

The process of adjusting an instrument or measurement to match a known standard.

calibre

noun

The internal diameter of a tube, especially the barrel of a gun, or the diameter of a bullet or shell.

calico

noun

A plain, inexpensive cotton fabric, often printed with a simple pattern.