English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

chum

noun

Informal: a close friend.

Chumley

name

An English surname, a pronunciation spelling of Cholmondeley.

chumminess

noun

The quality of being chummy; friendliness.

chummy

adj

Friendly and familiar, often in a way that seems overly informal.

chump

noun

A foolish or gullible person; someone easily fooled or taken advantage of.

Chun

name

A surname, common among Korean and Chinese families.

chunder

noun

Vomit, or the act of being sick.

Chung

name

A common Korean surname, also used as a Chinese surname.

chunk

noun

A thick, irregular piece or lump of something.

chunky

adj

Made up of or containing thick chunks or pieces.

chunter

verb

To talk quietly and not very clearly, so that words are hard to make out.

Chuny

name

A female given name of African-American usage, originating as a coinage.

chur

intj

Used to show strong agreement, thanks or approval.

church

noun

A building used for Christian worship.

churchman

noun

Another name for a churchwarden.

churchwarden

noun

A person, not a member of the clergy, who manages the everyday business of a Church of England parish.

churchyard

noun

The grounds surrounding a church, often used as a burial ground.

churl

noun

In the past, a free countryman of the lowest social class, or more generally, an ordinary person with no noble rank.

churn

verb

To stir or agitate a liquid vigorously, especially to make butter from cream.

churning

noun

The act of stirring or agitating something vigorously, especially cream or milk to make butter.

churro

noun

A fried, ridged pastry of Spanish origin, often dusted with sugar and served with chocolate for dipping.

chute

noun

A sloped or vertical channel used to slide or drop objects from a higher point to a lower one.

chutney

noun

A spicy or tangy condiment, typically made from fruit or vegetables, originating in South Asian cuisine.

chutzpadik

adj

Bold and rather rude, in a way that shows no respect.

chutzpah

noun

Bold self-confidence or audacity, especially of a shameless or impressive kind.

Chuy

name

A name for the Chu, a river flowing through Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

chyle

noun

A pale, milky fluid containing fat droplets, produced in the small intestine during digestion.

ci

noun

A traditional form of Chinese lyric poetry written to fit fixed tonal and rhythmic patterns.

ciao

intj

An informal greeting or farewell, meaning both "hello" and "goodbye".

Ciara

name

A female given name of Irish origin, a feminine form of Ciaran, meaning "dark-haired."

ciaran

name

A male first name of Irish origin.

cicada

noun

A large insect known for the loud, buzzing song males produce, often heard in summer.

cicatrix

noun

A mark left on the skin after a wound has healed; also used to mean the same thing in a non-literal sense.

Cicely

noun

Sweet cicely, a fragrant herb with feathery leaves and an aniseed flavor, used in cooking.

Cicero

noun

A unit of measurement in printing, equal to about 4.5 millimetres, used mainly in continental Europe as the counterpart to the English pica.

cichoraceous

adj

Relating to a former classification of plants, similar to today's group called Cichorieae.

CID

noun

An abbreviation used for various criminal investigation departments or divisions within police and military organizations.

cider

noun

A drink made from fermented apple juice, which may be alcoholic or not depending on region.

Cielo

name

A surname, from the Spanish and Italian word for "sky" or "heaven."

cig

noun

Informal shortening of "cigarette".

cigar

noun

A roll of tobacco leaves wrapped for smoking, typically thicker and stronger than a cigarette.

cigaret

noun

A dated spelling of cigarette.

cigarette

noun

A thin roll of shredded tobacco wrapped in paper, meant for smoking.

cilantro

noun

The fresh leaves and stems of the coriander plant, used as a herb in cooking.

cilium

noun

A tiny hair-like structure on the surface of a cell that helps it move or sense its surroundings.

Cilla

name

A female given name, a diminutive of Priscilla.

cimarron

noun

Historically, an enslaved African person who had escaped in the Americas, or their descendant, particularly one from the Cimarron people of Panama.

cimmerian

adj

Extremely dark or gloomy all the time.

cinch

noun

Something very easy to do; a sure thing.

Cincinnati

name

A major city in southwestern Ohio, on the Ohio River.

Cinco

name

A surname common among Filipinos of Chinese ancestry, from Hokkien via Philippine Spanish.

cincture

noun

Something that surrounds or encloses; the act of doing this.

cinder

noun

A small piece of partly burnt coal, wood, or other material left after combustion.

Cinderella

noun

A person or thing that unexpectedly rises from obscurity to success.

Cinders

noun

Small pieces of partly burned coal or wood that remain after a fire has died down.

Cindi

name

A diminutive of the female given name Cynthia, a variant spelling of Cindy.

Cindy

name

A diminutive of the female given names Cynthia or Lucinda, also used as a formal given name.

cinema

noun

A building where films are shown to the public.

cinematic

adj

Relating to films, or having the visual style and quality of a professionally made movie.

cinematographer

noun

A person responsible for the camera work and visual look of a film, including lighting and framing shots.

cinematography

noun

The art and technique of shooting and lighting scenes for film or video.

cinnabar

noun

A dark red mineral made of mercury sulfide, mined as the main source of mercury and used to make a red pigment.

cinnamon

noun

A spice made from the dried, curled bark of a tropical evergreen tree, sold as sticks or ground into powder.

cinque

noun

The number five on a playing card, dice or domino.

CIO

noun

The senior executive responsible for an organisation's information technology, systems and data strategy.

cipher

noun

A system for turning readable text into a secret, scrambled form; more loosely, a secret code.

ciphering

noun

A piece of maths or working out.

Cipriano

name

A Spanish surname and male given name.

circ

noun

A circular arena used for sports events; a circus.

circa

prep

Used before a date to mean "approximately" or "around", when the exact date isn't known.

circadian

adj

Describing a pattern, especially in living things, that repeats roughly every 24 hours.

Circe

name

In Greek mythology, an enchantress who turned Odysseus's men into pigs; also used to describe a seductive or bewitching woman.

circle

noun

A perfectly round, flat shape where every point on the edge is the same distance from the centre.

circled

adj

Marked with a ring drawn around it.

circling

noun

The act of moving repeatedly in a curved path around something.

circuit

noun

A closed path that electric current can flow around, usually containing components like wires, switches, and resistors.

circuitous

adj

Not straightforward or to the point.

circuitously

adv

In a long, winding way; by a roundabout route.

circuitry

noun

The network of electrical circuits inside a device, or the design of such a system.

circular

adj

Shaped like or relating to a circle.

circularise

verb

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of circularize.

circularize

verb

To make something known by sending out printed notices.

circulate

verb

To move continuously through a system, or to travel around and mix with a group of people.

circulated

adj

Passed around or spread so it reaches many people or places.

circulating

adj

Moving continuously through a system, or actively spreading among people.

circulation

noun

The movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels around the body.

circulative

adj

Helping or causing circulation.

circulatory

adj

Relating to the circulation of blood through the heart and vessels.

circumcise

verb

To cut off the foreskin from a penis.

circumcised

adj

Having had the foreskin surgically removed, referring to a man or male infant.

circumcision

noun

The surgical removal of the foreskin, often performed on infant boys for religious, cultural, or medical reasons.

circumference

noun

The distance all the way around the edge of a circle or round object.

circumferential

adj

Relating to the outer edge or boundary of a circle.

circumfix

noun

In grammar, an affix made up of a prefix part and a suffix part that function together as one unit.

circumflex

noun

A diacritical mark (ˆ) placed over a vowel, and in some languages a consonant, to change how it is pronounced.

circumscribe

verb

To draw a line all the way around something.

circumscribed

adj

Kept within strict limits.

circumspect

adj

Careful and thoughtful, taking every circumstance into account before acting.

circumspection

noun

Careful thought about every fact and circumstance involved in a situation.

circumspectly

adv

In a careful, thoughtful way, bearing every relevant circumstance in mind.

circumstance

noun

A fact or condition connected to an event, which affects how it happens or is understood.

circumstantial

adj

Based on indirect evidence that suggests something without directly proving it.

circumvent

verb

To find a way around an obstacle, rule, or difficulty rather than dealing with it directly.

circumvention

noun

The act of avoiding or getting around something.

circumventive

adj

Designed to get past a safeguard or restriction.

circumvolve

verb

To make something turn or spin in a circle.

circus

noun

A travelling show featuring acrobats, clowns, and trained animals, traditionally performed in a large tent.

cirque

noun

A bowl-shaped hollow carved into a mountainside by glacial erosion, usually at the head of a valley.

cirrhosis

noun

A serious, long-term liver disease in which healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue, often caused by alcohol abuse, hepatitis, or other damage.

cirriped

noun

A barnacle or a similar small sea creature.

cirrostratus

noun

A high, pale, veil-like cloud that can cover the whole sky and sometimes creates a halo around the sun or moon.

cis

adj

Cisgender; describing someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.

cis male

noun

A person who was recorded as male at birth and whose gender identity is male — that is, a man who is not transgender.

cis man

noun

A man whose gender identity matches the male sex he was recorded as at birth; a man who is not transgender.

cis woman

noun

A woman whose gender identity matches the female sex she was recorded as at birth; a woman who is not transgender.

cisatlantic

adj

On this side of the Atlantic Ocean, from the speaker's point of view.

cisco

noun

Any of several freshwater fish species found in cold North American lakes, related to whitefish.

cisgender

adjective

Having a gender identity that matches the sex recorded at birth.

cissy

noun

A cisgender person; someone who is not transgender.

cistern

noun

A tank or reservoir used to store water, especially rainwater, for later use.

cisterna

noun

A membrane-covered space found inside certain cell structures, such as the Golgi apparatus.

cistron

noun

A section of DNA that carries the instructions for making one protein.

citadel

noun

A fortress, often built on high ground, that protects or overlooks a city.

citation

noun

A reference to a source of information, given to credit where it came from, especially in academic writing.

cite

verb

To quote or refer to a source as evidence or support for a statement.

cited

adj

Referred to or quoted as a source.

citerior

adj

(chiefly in place names) Lying on the closer side.

citing

noun

The act of quoting or referring to a source.

citizen

noun

A legally recognised member of a country, with rights such as voting and a passport, and duties such as paying taxes.

citizenship

noun

The legal status of being a citizen of a particular country, along with its associated rights and duties.

citron

noun

A citrus fruit, or the small tree it grows on, whose thick rind is often candied.

citrous

adj

Relating to citrus plants or their fruit.

citrus

noun

Any tree or fruit of the group that includes oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit.

city

noun

A large, important settlement, generally bigger than a town and often with its own local government.

citywide

adj

Affecting or covering an entire city.

Ciudad

name

The Spanish word for "city," used as part of many place names, and formerly the name of a barangay in Cebu City, Philippines.

civet

noun

A small, catlike, meat-eating mammal from tropical Africa or Asia.

civic

adj

Relating to a city, a citizen, or citizenship; municipal or civil in nature.

civics

noun

The school subject or study of citizenship — how government works and what it means to take part in a community.

civil

adj

Relating to ordinary citizens and government, as opposed to the military or religion.

civilian

noun

A person who is not a member of the armed forces, police, or similar organisation.

civilisation

noun

British spelling of civilization — an organised, developed society or culture.

civilise

verb

To teach people to behave in a way seen as more advanced or refined.

civilised

adj

British spelling of civilized — having a developed, orderly society, or simply behaving in a decent, reasonable way.

civility

noun

Polite, courteous behaviour, especially toward people you disagree with.

civilization

noun

A large, organised society with its own culture, institutions, and level of development, often spanning a nation or region.

civilize

verb

An American and Oxford British standard spelling of civilise.

civilized

adj

Having a well-developed society, culture, and institutions.

civvies

noun

Ordinary, non-military clothing, especially as worn by someone who is normally in uniform.

Cl

noun

Abbreviation for centilitre, a metric unit of volume equal to one hundredth of a litre.