English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

cocoanut

noun

An archaic spelling of coconut.

coconut

noun

The large seed of the coconut palm, with a hard brown husk, white flesh, and clear liquid inside.

coconutty

adj

Tasting or looking like coconut.

cocoon

noun

A silky protective case spun by insect larvae, in which they transform into their adult form.

cocotte

noun

A small cooking pot used to make and serve one portion of food.

cocoyam

noun

A tropical plant grown for its edible root, also known as malanga.

cocuswood

noun

A heavy, hard wood taken from a flowering tree found in the Caribbean.

cod

noun

A large sea fish, especially Atlantic cod, widely eaten and central to many fisheries.

coda

noun

A passage that brings a piece of music to a close, added after the main structure has finished.

coddle

verb

To treat someone with excessive care, protection, or indulgence.

coddled

adj

Overprotected or overindulged.

code

noun

Instructions written in a programming language that a computer can run.

code red

noun

The highest level of emergency alert, declared when a situation is critical and demands immediate action; in hospitals it commonly signals a fire, and in other organisations the most serious class of incident.

code switching

noun

In linguistics, alternating between two or more languages or dialects within a single conversation or even a single sentence, typical of fluent bilingual speakers.

coded

adj

Written in a code or cipher, or expressed indirectly so the real meaning is disguised.

codeine

noun

A mild opioid painkiller derived from opium, also used to suppress coughs and help people sleep.

codename

verb

To give something or someone a secret or informal working name.

codependent

adjective

Describing a relationship pattern in which one person's sense of worth depends on being needed by the other, so they take responsibility for that person's problems, tolerate harmful behaviour and neglect their own needs to keep the relationship intact.

coder

noun

A machine that produces a code, often as a set of pulses.

Codes

name

A diminutive of the male given name Cody.

codex

noun

A manuscript book, especially an old one, made of bound pages rather than a scroll.

codfish

noun

Another name for cod, a family of cold-water fish including the Atlantic cod.

codicil

noun

(law) A document added to a will to explain, change or cancel part of it.

codicology

noun

The study of old handwritten books.

codification

noun

The process of writing something, such as a set of laws, out clearly and exactly.

codified

adj

Arranged in a neat, organised way.

codifier

noun

A person or thing that organises something into a set of rules or laws.

codify

verb

To gather rules, practices or laws that already exist and set them out formally as a written system.

coding

noun

The activity of writing computer programs.

codomain

noun

(maths) The set that a function's results are defined to belong to, whether or not every value in it is reached.

codswallop

noun

(informal) Talk or writing that makes no sense at all.

Cody

name

An Irish surname and unisex given name, also the name of a city in Wyoming named for showman Buffalo Bill Cody.

Coe

name

An English surname, also the name of several small communities in the United States.

coefficient

noun

A number placed in front of a variable that multiplies it, in an algebraic expression.

coen

name

A Hebrew-derived Jewish surname.

coerce

verb

To force someone into doing something, using pressure, threats, or intimidation.

coercion

noun

The use of force or threats to make someone act against their will.

coercive

adjective

Using force, threats or pressure to make someone do something against their will.

coetaneous

adj

Existing or happening in the same period as something else.

coeus

name

The Titan associated with intelligence, and father of Leto and Asteria.

coeval

adj

Existing at the same time, or belonging to the same period, as something else.

coexist

verb

To exist together at the same time or in the same place, often peacefully despite differences.

coexistence

noun

The state of two or more things existing together at the same time or place.

coffee

noun

A hot drink made by brewing the roasted, ground seeds of the coffee plant.

coffeehouse

noun

A café or establishment that serves coffee to customers.

coffeemaker

noun

A kitchen appliance used to brew coffee.

coffer

noun

A sturdy box used to keep money or valuable items safe.

Coffey

name

An Irish surname meaning "victorious," also the name of a city in Missouri.

coffin

noun

A box in which a dead body is placed for burial.

cog

noun

A tooth on a gear wheel, or the wheel itself.

cogent

adjective

Clear, logical and convincing enough that a reasonable person would be persuaded.

cogger

noun

A person who cheats while playing dice games.

coggle

verb

To move or walk in a shaky, unsteady way.

cogitate

verb

To think carefully and deeply about something.

cogitation

noun

The act of thinking deeply and carefully about something.

cogitative

adj

Able to think deeply, or relating to deep thought.

cognac

noun

A type of brandy distilled from white wine, traditionally made in the Cognac region of France.

cognate

adj

Connected by blood or birth; in law, specifically related through the mother's side.

cognisant

adjective

Aware of something, or having knowledge of it, especially something that ought to be taken into account.

cognition

noun

The mental process of gaining knowledge and understanding, through thinking and the senses.

cognitive

adj

Relating to mental processes like thinking, learning, memory, and reasoning.

cognitive dissonance

noun

The uncomfortable mental tension a person feels when holding two beliefs that contradict each other, or when acting in a way that conflicts with what they believe.

cognitively

adv

In a way that relates to thinking and understanding.

cognizance

noun

Knowledge or awareness of something, especially official or conscious awareness of it.

cognizant

adjective

Aware of something and taking it into account.

cognomen

noun

An extra name given to an Ancient Roman, added to their first and family names, often to show which clan they belonged to.

cognoscente

noun

A person with expert or specialist knowledge in a particular subject.

cogwheel

noun

A wheel with teeth around its edge that turns machinery.

cohabitant

noun

A person who lives together with another, especially a partner.

cohabitation

noun

A close relationship in which a couple share a home without being married.

cohabiting

verb

Living together in the same home as a couple in a sexual relationship without being married.

cohee

noun

Someone from the hill country of western Virginia or West Virginia, or from further west.

Cohen

noun

In Judaism, a member of the hereditary priestly class said to descend directly from Aaron, brother of Moses.

cohencidence

noun

An event that appears coincidental but is believed to be secretly orchestrated by Jewish conspiracy groups.

cohencidental

adj

Relating to a cohencidence.

cohere

verb

To hold together physically through adhesion.

coherence

noun

The quality of being logical, consistent and clearly connected, so that the parts of something fit together and make sense as a whole.

coherency

noun

The quality of being coherent, or a connection that holds together logically.

coherent

adj

Logical, clear, and easy to follow; making sense as a whole.

cohesion

noun

The act or state of sticking together or working together as a unit.

cohesive

adj

Sticking together well and forming a unified whole.

cohesiveness

noun

The quality of sticking or holding together as a unit.

Cohn

name

A Jewish surname of German origin.

cohort

noun

A group of people who share a defining characteristic, especially starting something at the same time, and who are studied or tracked together.

cohran

name

A surname of Scottish Gaelic origin.

coif

noun

A snug cap or hood that covered most of the head, common until the 1700s and later worn mainly by young children and women in the countryside.

coiffure

verb

To arrange or shape someone's hair.

coil

noun

Something wound into a spiral or helix shape.

coiled

adj

Wound into a spiral or loop shape.

coiling

noun

The shape or movement made by something that coils.

Coimbatore

name

A large city in Tamil Nadu, India, known as a major industrial and textile hub.

coin

noun

A small, flat piece of metal issued by a government as money.

coinage

noun

The making of coins.

coincide

verb

To happen at the same time as something else.

coincidence

noun

A remarkable occurrence of two or more events happening at the same time by chance, without any real connection.

coincident

adj

Describes two or more objects that are in the same place.

coincidental

adj

Happening by chance at the same time, rather than through planning or connection.

coincidentally

adv

By chance, without any planned connection.

coincidently

adv

At the same time as something else.

coinciding

noun

An instance of two or more things happening together; a coincidence.

coinfuse

verb

To infuse something together with another substance.

coinstantial

adj

Happening together as a single instance.

coir

noun

A coarse, springy fibre taken from the husk of the coconut, used to make rope, matting, doormats, brushes and a peat-free growing medium for plants.

coitus

noun

Sexual intercourse.

cojones

noun

Courage and boldness; nerve. (Informal, from a word for testicles.)

coke

noun

A solid fuel made by roasting coal, used mainly in steelmaking.

coker

noun

A plant or facility where coke (a fuel derived from coal or petroleum) is produced.

cokes

noun

An old-fashioned informal word for a foolish or easily-fooled person.

col

noun

A low dip or saddle-shaped pass in a mountain ridge between two peaks.

cola

noun

A sweet, dark, fizzy soft drink originally flavored with kola nut extract and caramel.

colada

noun

Short for piña colada, a sweet cocktail made with rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice.

colander

noun

A bowl-shaped kitchen container full of holes, used for draining water off food such as pasta, rice or washed vegetables.

Colby

noun

A mild, soft American cheese similar to cheddar but moister, made using a washed-curd technique.

colchicum

noun

Any flower belonging to the plant genus Colchicum.

cold

adj

Having a low temperature; not warm.

cold feet

noun

A sudden loss of nerve about something you had already decided to do.

cold turkey

noun

The abrupt and complete withdrawal from an addictive substance, without tapering the dose or using any medication to soften the effects; also the physical symptoms this produces.

cold wallet

noun

A store of the secret keys that control someone's cryptocurrency, kept on a device or piece of paper that is not connected to the internet, so that an attacker online cannot reach it.

coldhouse

noun

A building kept at a low temperature for growing plants in.

coldie

noun

(informal) A cold can or bottle of beer.

coldly

adv

In an unfriendly, unemotional, or distant manner.

coldness

noun

A low temperature; the state of lacking heat.

cole

noun

An old word for cabbage or related plants of the Brassica family.

colectomy

noun

An operation to take out all or part of the colon.

Coleman

name

An English surname, originating either as a patronymic from Colman or as an occupational name for a charcoal burner, also used as a given name.

coleslaw

noun

A salad of shredded raw cabbage, often with carrots, mixed with a creamy or vinegar-based dressing.

coleta

noun

A plaited lock of hair worn as a symbol by a bullfighter.

Colette

name

A feminine given name of French origin, a diminutive of Nicole, meaning "victory of the people."

coley

noun

A common food fish, also called coalfish or pollock, found in North Atlantic waters.

coli

noun

Short for Escherichia coli (E. coli), a bacterium normally living in the gut, some strains of which cause food poisoning.

colic

noun

Severe, cramping pain in the abdomen, often linked to the digestive system.

Colin

noun

The bobwhite quail, a small North American game bird, or a related species.

coliseum

noun

A large arena, stadium, or theatre used for sports, concerts, or big public events.

coll

name

A short form used in medieval English for the male given name Nicholas, now very rare.

collaborate

verb

To work together with someone else toward a shared goal.

collaboration

noun

The act of working together with others on a shared task.

collaborative

adj

Involving people working together rather than alone.

collaboratively

adv

By working together with others.

collaborator

noun

Someone who works with others on a shared project.

collage

noun

A picture made by gluing or arranging different pieces of paper, photos, or fabric onto a surface.

collagen

noun

A tough, fibrous protein that gives structure to skin, bones, tendons, and other connective tissue in animals.

collapse

verb

To fall down or cave in suddenly.

collapsible

adj

Made so that it can be folded down, usually to take up less space when not in use.

collar

noun

The part of a shirt, jacket, or coat that fits around the neck.

collarbone

noun

The long bone connecting the shoulder blade to the breastbone; the clavicle.

collard

noun

A leafy variety of cabbage grown for its edible dark green leaves, usually called collard greens.

collared

adj

Fitted with a collar.

collate

verb

To compare different documents in order to find what is similar or different between them.

collateral

noun

An asset pledged as security for a loan, which the lender can claim if the borrower fails to repay.

collation

noun

The act of bringing things together.