English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

candied

adj

Coated or preserved in sugar.

candle

noun

A stick of wax with a wick that burns to give light.

candlelight

noun

The soft light given off by a burning candle.

candlelit

adj

Lit with the light of candles.

candlemaker

noun

A person whose job is making candles.

candlepower

noun

An old unit for measuring how bright a light is, roughly equal to one candela.

candlestick

noun

A holder designed to keep a candle upright.

candor

noun

The quality of being honest and straightforward in what you say, even when the truth is uncomfortable.

candour

noun

The quality of speaking openly and honestly, even when the truth is awkward or unflattering.

candy

noun

Sweet confectionery made mainly from sugar, often flavored with chocolate, fruit, or nuts.

candyman

noun

A man who sells candy or sweets, especially from a small shop or stall.

cane

noun

The tall, jointed stem of plants like bamboo or sugar cane.

canes

noun

Plural of cane; often used specifically for a genus of temperate bamboo native to the Americas.

canid

noun

An animal belonging to the dog family, such as a wolf, coyote, jackal or fox.

canine

adj

Relating to or resembling dogs.

canistel

noun

A Central American and Caribbean tree that produces a sweet, oval fruit.

canister

noun

A small container, typically metal or plastic, used to store dry goods like tea, flour, or film.

canker

noun

A disease that causes decay in plants, or the damaged area it leaves behind.

cankered

adj

Affected by canker, a disease that damages plants or causes sores on skin.

Cann

name

An English or Irish surname, and a small village in Dorset, England.

cannabis

noun

The hemp plant, or the dried leaves and flowers of it used as a drug.

Cannae

name

A village in southeastern Italy, famous as the site of Hannibal's decisive victory over Rome in 216 BC.

canned

adj

Sealed and preserved in a can.

cannery

noun

A factory where food is preserved and sealed in cans.

Cannes

name

A city on the French Riviera, famous for its international film festival.

cannibal

noun

A creature that eats others of its own kind, especially a person who eats human flesh.

cannibalism

noun

The practice of eating the flesh of one's own species.

cannibalistic

adj

Having a tendency to eat the flesh of one's own species.

canning

noun

The process of preserving food by sealing it in airtight cans or jars and heating it.

cannoli

noun

A Sicilian pastry consisting of a fried tube shell filled with sweetened ricotta or a similar cream.

cannon

noun

A large, mounted gun that fires heavy projectiles, historically used in warfare.

cannonball

noun

A round metal projectile fired from a cannon.

cannoneer

noun

A soldier trained to operate cannons or other heavy artillery.

cannonry

noun

A group of cannons, or the guns of an artillery battery.

cannot

verb

Unable to; not able to.

cannula

noun

A thin tube put into the body to remove or add fluid, such as during medical treatment.

cannular

adj

Made up of several separate burner units inside one ring-shaped pressure chamber, as in some jet engines.

cannulate

verb

To put a thin medical tube into a part of the body, such as a vein, to add or remove fluid.

cannulation

noun

The act of putting a cannula into the body.

cannulise

verb

A non-Oxford British spelling of cannulize.

cannulize

verb

Another word for cannulate: to insert a cannula into a part of the body.

canny

adj

Shrewd and clever, especially in practical or business matters.

canoe

noun

A narrow boat, pointed at both ends, propelled with single-bladed paddles.

canoeing

noun

The activity or sport of traveling or racing in canoes.

canon

noun

A collection of works or rules officially accepted as genuine or authoritative, such as the accepted body of a writer's work or a set of religious texts.

canonical

adj

Officially recognised as part of a canon, especially a religious one.

canonize

verb

To officially declare that a dead person is a saint.

canoodle

verb

(informal) To kiss and cuddle someone lovingly, or to have sex with them.

canoodling

noun

(informal) Kissing and cuddling between two people who fancy each other.

canopied

adj

Having a covering above, like a canopy.

canopy

noun

A covering suspended or supported above something, such as a bed or entrance.

cant

noun

The specialized jargon of a particular trade, class, or group.

cantaloupe

noun

A type of muskmelon with sweet orange flesh and a rough, netted or ribbed rind.

cantankerous

adj

Bad-tempered and always ready to argue or complain.

canteen

noun

A small, often flask-shaped container for carrying drinking water, especially used by soldiers or campers.

canter

noun

A horse's gait that is faster than a trot but slower than a gallop.

Canterbury

noun

A stand or rack with dividers, used to hold magazines, sheet music, or loose papers upright.

canticle

noun

A hymn, chant or song, in particular one without regular metre, whose words come from scripture.

cantina

noun

A small bar or saloon, especially one found in Latin American countries.

canto

noun

One of the main sections into which a long poem is divided.

canton

noun

A political or administrative division of a country, such as one of the states of Switzerland.

Cantonese

adj

Relating to the city of Guangzhou (historically called Canton), its people, language, or cuisine.

cantonment

noun

A place where soldiers stay for a short time.

cantor

noun

A person who leads the singing in a religious service, especially in a Jewish synagogue.

cantorate

noun

The role or position held by a cantor.

cantrall

name

The name of a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States.

Cantrell

name

An English surname, possibly an occupational name for a bellmaker.

Cantwell

name

A surname, and a small community in Alaska.

canute

name

A male given name of Germanic origin, used in England between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries.

canvas

noun

A heavy, coarse woven fabric traditionally made from hemp or cotton, used for sails, tents, and painting surfaces.

canvass

verb

To go around asking people for their opinions, support, or votes.

canvassing

noun

The activity of going around asking people for votes, opinions, or support.

canyon

noun

A deep, narrow valley with steep sides, usually carved out by a river over a long time.

Cao

name

A Chinese surname, and a state of ancient China during the Zhou dynasty.

cap

noun

A soft, close-fitting hat, often with a brim or peak, and no full brim all the way round.

capa

noun

A traditional Spanish cloak, often worn draped over the shoulders.

capability

noun

The power, skill, or resources needed to do something.

capable

adj

Having the skill, ability, or qualities needed to do something well.

capacious

adj

Having plenty of room inside; big and spacious.

capacitance

noun

The ability of an electrical circuit or component to store electric charge, measured in farads.

capacitate

verb

To give someone or something the ability to do a particular job.

capacitation

noun

The act of giving someone the ability or power to do something.

capacitive

adj

Relating to the storage of electric charge in a circuit.

capacitor

noun

An electronic component that stores electrical energy, typically made from two conductive plates separated by an insulating layer.

capacity

noun

The greatest amount that something can hold, contain, or produce.

caparison

noun

Decorative coverings placed over an animal, such as a horse or elephant.

cape

noun

A sleeveless outer garment that hangs from the shoulders and covers the back and arms.

caped

adj

Wearing a cape.

Capella

noun

A very bright star in the constellation Auriga, one of the brightest stars visible from Earth.

caper

noun

A playful, high-spirited jump or leap.

capercaillie

noun

A large black grouse, especially the western capercaillie.

capillary

noun

One of the tiny blood vessels that connect the arteries to the veins.

capisce

intj

Informal: "understand?" or "got it?" — used to check someone has understood, often with a hint of warning.

capita

noun

Heads, or individual persons — almost always seen in the fixed phrase "per capita," meaning "for each person."

capitaine

noun

French word for "captain," occasionally used in English for flavor.

capital

noun

The city where a country's or region's government is based.

capital gains

noun

The profit made when an asset such as a share, a property or a work of art is sold for more than it cost to buy. Usually plural, though a single such profit is a capital gain.

capitalise

verb

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of capitalize.

capitalised

adj

Written using capital letters.

capitalism

noun

An economic system in which businesses and resources are privately owned and run for profit, with prices largely set by supply and demand rather than the state.

capitalist

noun

A person who owns or invests significant wealth in businesses to earn a profit.

capitalistic

adj

Relating to capitalism or to people who practise it.

capitalizable

adj

Able to be turned into capital.

capitalization

noun

An American and Oxford British English standard spelling of capitalisation.

capitalize

verb

To write a letter or word in uppercase.

capitan

noun

Spanish for "captain," sometimes borrowed into English for local flavor.

Capitol

noun

The building in which a country's or state's legislature meets.

capitulate

verb

To stop resisting and agree to the other side's terms; to surrender.

capitulation

noun

The act of stopping resistance and accepting the demands of an opponent.

capitulatory

adj

Relating to giving up or surrendering.

Caplan

name

A surname, and a municipality in Quebec, Canada.

caplet

noun

A smooth, capsule-shaped tablet that is easy to swallow and hard to tamper with.

capo

noun

A clamp placed across a guitar's fingerboard to raise the pitch of all the strings at once.

capoeira

noun

A Brazilian martial art that blends dance-like movements, acrobatics, and music.

capon

noun

A young cockerel that has been castrated and fattened up for eating.

Capone

name

An Italian surname, most famously borne by American gangster Al Capone.

capote

noun

A long, hooded coat or cloak.

Capp

name

A surname, notably borne by cartoonist Al Capp.

capped

adj

Fitted with, or having, a cap or cover; also, having an upper limit set.

Cappella

name

An Italian surname.

Cappie

noun

Informal term for a capitalist, or someone seen as pro-business or pro-establishment.

capping

noun

The act of taking off your hat to show respect.

cappo

noun

Synonym of capote ("coat").

cappuccino

noun

An Italian coffee drink made from espresso topped with steamed and frothed milk.

cappy

adj

Resembling or related to a cap.

Capri

noun

A deep shade of sky blue, named after the Italian island of Capri.

capriccio

noun

A sudden, playful or unexpected action; a prank or trick.

caprice

noun

A sudden, impulsive change of mind or behavior with no clear reason.

capricious

adj

Changing mood or behavior suddenly and unpredictably, without an obvious reason.

capriciously

adv

In a way that is sudden and unpredictable, without much thought.

capriciousness

noun

The quality of changing suddenly and unpredictably.

Capricorn

noun

The zodiac sign of the goat, covering roughly late December to mid-January, or a person born under it.

capricornus

name

The name of a zodiac constellation traditionally shown as a goat or as the mythical sea goat, with an upper half of goat and a lower half of fish.

caprid

adj

Relating to the group of ruminant animals that includes goats and sheep.

caprine

adj

Relating to goats, sheep and their close wild relatives.

caps

noun

Capital letters.

capsicum

noun

A tropical American plant grown for its edible peppers.

capsize

verb

To turn over or roll over in the water, or to cause a boat to do so.

capstone

noun

A stone placed on top of a wall to finish it off.

capsule

noun

A small container, often plastic or made of gelatin, holding a dose of medicine.

captain

noun

The person in charge of a ship, aircraft, or team.

CAPTCHA

noun

A small test on a website meant to tell a real person apart from an automated programme, such as reading distorted letters, picking out images that contain a certain object, or ticking a box that quietly measures how the visitor behaves.

captee

noun

A person who has been captured and is being held prisoner.

caption

noun

A short piece of text that explains or accompanies an image, video, or on-screen dialogue.

captioned

adj

Having a caption or captions attached.

captioning

noun

The process of adding text captions to images, video, or broadcasts.

captivate

verb

To take a person or animal prisoner and hold them captive.

captivated

adj

Completely fascinated or charmed; unable to look away.

captivating

adj

So interesting, charming, or beautiful that it holds someone's full attention.

captivation

noun

The act of holding someone's attention completely, or the feeling of being charmed by something.