English dictionary — definitions & meanings

crucifix

noun

A cross bearing a figure of Christ, often worn as jewellery or displayed as a religious symbol.

crucifixion

noun

Execution by being fastened to a cross and left to die.

crucifixional

adj

Of or relating to crucifixion.

crucify

verb

To execute someone by nailing or binding them to a cross.

crud

noun

Dirt, grime, or unpleasant residue.

cruddy

adj

Full of crud.

crude

adj

In a raw, natural, or unrefined state.

crudely

adv

In a rough, unrefined, or tactless manner.

crudeness

noun

The state of being crude

crudity

noun

The state of being crude.

cruel

adj

Deliberately causing pain or suffering to others, without mercy.

Cruella

noun

A cruel, vain, or heartless woman, especially one who is theatrically villainous.

cruelly

adv

In a way that causes deliberate pain or suffering; mercilessly.

cruelness

noun

The state of being cruel; cruelty.

cruelty

noun

The quality of deliberately causing pain or suffering, without pity.

crufty

adj

Relating to or containing cruft.

Cruickshank

name

A Scottish surname originating as a nickname.

cruise

noun

A leisure voyage by ship, often stopping at several ports.

cruiser

noun

A fast, medium-sized warship built for long-range operations.

cruising

noun

Sailing or travelling for pleasure without a fixed destination.

cruller

noun

A donut in the form of a twisted ring.

crumb

noun

A tiny fragment of bread, cake, or similar food.

crumble

verb

To break apart into small pieces or fall to ruin.

crumbling

adjective

Falling apart into small pieces or fragments.

crumbs

interjection

A mild British exclamation of surprise, similar to "goodness" or "gosh".

crumbum

noun

An objectionable or foolish person.

crummy

adjective

Of poor quality; disappointing or unpleasant.

crump

noun

A dull, heavy thud, especially the sound of a distant explosion.

crumpet

noun

A soft, round, griddle-cooked cake with small holes in the top, usually toasted and buttered.

crumple

verb

To crush something into creases and wrinkles.

crumpled

adjective

Squashed into creases and wrinkles; no longer smooth.

crunch

verb

To crush something noisily, especially food, making a crackling sound.

crunchie

noun

A somewhat granola- or cookie-like chocolate-covered sweet, served in bar form.

crunching

noun

The crackling noise made when something is crushed or chewed.

crunchy

adjective

Making a crunching sound when bitten or crushed; crisp.

crupper

noun

A strap, looped under a horse's tail, used to stop a saddle from slipping.

crus

noun

The shin (tibia and fibula)

crusade

noun

One of the medieval religious wars fought by European Christians, mainly to try to take the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

crusader

noun

A person who took part in the medieval Crusades.

crush

verb

To squeeze or press something so hard that its shape or structure is destroyed.

crushed

adjective

Broken into small pieces by pressure or force.

crusher

noun

A machine used to break rocks or other hard materials into smaller pieces.

crushing

adjective

Overwhelming in force or effect.

Crusoe

name

A surname of French origin, famously used for the title character of Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe.

crust

noun

The hard outer layer of something, especially bread or the Earth.

crustacean

noun

A hard-shelled creature such as a crab, lobster, shrimp, or barnacle, mostly living in water.

crustaceology

noun

The branch of zoology dealing with crustaceans.

crusty

adjective

Having a hard, crisp outer layer, especially bread.

crutch

noun

A stick-like support used under the arm to help someone walk when injured.

crux

noun

The most important or decisive point of a matter.

Cruz

name

A surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, meaning "cross."

cry

verb

To shed tears, usually from sadness, pain, or strong emotion.

crybaby

noun

Someone, often a child, who cries very easily or over small things.

Cryer

noun

A surname derived from the historical occupation of a town crier.

cryey

adj

Inclined to cry; tearful.

crying

adjective

So urgent or serious that it clearly needs attention.

cryogenic

adjective

Relating to the production and effects of very low temperatures.

cryopathy

noun

Any morbid condition caused by coldness

crypt

noun

An underground chamber, especially one beneath a church used for burials.

cryptic

adjective

Having a hidden or puzzling meaning that is not immediately clear.

crypto

noun

Digital money that exists only as records on a computer network, kept secure by mathematics rather than issued or guaranteed by a government or bank.

cryptocurrency

noun

A digital currency based on a cryptographic system, usually having no central issuing or regulating authority.

cryptography

noun

The discipline that embodies the principles, means, and methods for transforming data to hide its semantic content, prevent unauthorized use, or detect modifications, while also ensuring information security through confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and nonrepudiation.

crysome

adj

Characterised by crying or weeping; tearful; lamentful

crystal

noun

A solid substance whose atoms are arranged in a regular, repeating pattern, often forming clear geometric shapes.

crystalise

verb

Non-Oxford British English spelling of crystallize.

crystalline

adjective

Made of or resembling crystal, especially having a clear, regular structure.

crystallise

verb

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of crystallize.

crystallize

verb

To make something form into crystals.

crystallized

adjective

Formed into crystals, or having taken on a solid, definite form.

Cs

noun

Abbreviation for cirrostratus, a type of high, thin, sheet-like cloud.

CSA

noun

Community-supported agriculture: an arrangement in which customers pay a farm in advance for a share of its harvest and receive a regular box of produce through the season.

CSS

noun

A language used to describe how a web page should look — its colours, fonts, spacing, sizes and layout — kept separate from the page's content.

CSU

noun

The Christian Social Union, the conservative political party that operates in Bavaria alongside its national sister party.

CSV

noun

A plain text file format for tables, in which each line is a row and the values in that row are separated by commas.

CT

verb

To scan someone using computed tomography (CT) imaging.

CTFU

interjection

Used in texts and online posts to show that something is extremely funny; the writer is laughing very hard.

CTO

noun

Chief technology officer: the senior executive responsible for a company's technology — its engineering teams, technical strategy and the products they build.

Cuando

name

A river in south-central Africa, flowing through Angola and Namibia into the Linyanti Swamp.

cuatro

noun

A small four-stringed (or sometimes ten-stringed) guitar-like instrument used in Latin American music.

Cub

noun

The young of certain animals, such as lions, bears, or foxes.

Cuba

noun

A country made up of the largest island in the Caribbean, with Havana as its capital.

Cuban

adj

Relating to Cuba, its people, or the Cuban way of speaking Spanish.

cubby

noun

A small, enclosed space just big enough to tuck something into.

cubbyhole

noun

A small, snug room which may be used as a place of privacy, or a safe place for children

cube

noun

A solid shape with six equal square faces.

cubic

adj

Used with units of length to describe a measure of volume (e.g. cubic meter).

cubicle

noun

A small partitioned-off space within a larger room, especially a workspace.

Cubs

noun

Young members of the Cub Scouts youth organization.

cucaracha

noun

A lively Mexican dance performed in ballrooms and nightclubs.

cuck

noun

A cuckold or cuckquean.

cuckold

noun

A man whose wife or partner has been unfaithful to him.

cuckoo

noun

A gray-brown bird known for its distinctive two-note call and for laying its eggs in other birds' nests.

cuckquean

noun

A woman who has an unfaithful partner.

cuculine

adj

Of, or pertaining to cuckoos.

cucullated

adj

Having a hood or cowl; hooded.

cucumber

noun

A long green vegetable with crisp white flesh, grown on a vine.

cucumiform

adj

Shaped like a cucumber; having the form of a cylinder tapered and rounded at the ends, and possibly curved.

cucurbitaceous

adj

Pertaining to the gourd family, including cucumbers, pumpkins etc.

cuddle

verb

To hold someone close in an affectionate, gentle embrace.

cuddlesome

adj

Characterized or marked by cuddling; cuddly.

cuddling

noun

The act of holding someone close affectionately.

cuddly

adj

Soft and inviting to hug or hold close, or naturally affectionate.

cuddy

noun

A small cabin on a sailing ship, traditionally used by the captain.

cudgel

noun

A short heavy club with a rounded head used as a weapon.

cue

noun

A signal or prompt that tells someone it is time to act.

cueing

noun

The act or process by which something is cued.

Cuervo

name

A surname of Spanish origin, meaning "crow."

cuesta

noun

A ridge or hill with a gentle slope on one side and a steep drop on the other.

cuff

noun

The end part of a sleeve or pant leg, often folded or fastened around the wrist or ankle.

cuffed

adj

Fitted with a cuff, or wearing handcuffs.

Cui

name

A Chinese surname.

cuirassier

noun

A cavalry soldier equipped with a cuirass (armor).

cuisine

noun

A characteristic style of cooking associated with a particular region or culture.

cuisinier

noun

A cook or chef, especially in French contexts.

culinary

adj

Relating to cooking or the kitchen.

cull

verb

To select or pick something out from a larger group.

Cullen

name

A surname and male given name of Scottish Gaelic origin, also the name of villages in Scotland and Ireland.

culling

noun

The process of selecting items or animals to remove from a larger group.

cullion

noun

Synonym of testicle.

cullionly

adj

mean, worthless, vulgar or otherwise inferior.

cully

noun

Old-fashioned slang for a person who is easily fooled or taken advantage of.

culmen

noun

Top; summit.

culminate

verb

Of a heavenly body, to be at the highest point, reach its greatest altitude.

culmination

noun

The final, highest point reached after a series of events or efforts.

culpa

noun

Legal term for fault or negligence, as opposed to intentional wrongdoing.

culpability

noun

The degree to which someone is to blame for a wrongdoing or crime.

culpable

adj

Deserving blame for wrongdoing.

culpableness

noun

The state or quality of being culpable.

Culpepper

name

An English surname.

culprit

noun

The person or thing responsible for a problem, crime, or wrongdoing.

cult

noun

A group organized around an unconventional set of religious or philosophical beliefs, often isolating members from outside society under a controlling leader.

cultism

noun

The system or practice of a cult.

cultivate

verb

To prepare and use land for growing crops.

cultivated

adj

Well-educated and refined in manner or taste.

cultivation

noun

The process of preparing and farming land to grow crops.

cultivator

noun

Any of several devices used to loosen or stir the soil, either to remove weeds or to provide aeration and drainage.

Cults

name

A western suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, also the name of a hamlet and a parish elsewhere in Scotland.

cultural

adj

Relating to the customs, arts, and shared ideas of a society.

culturally

adv

In a way that relates to culture or the customs of a society.

culture

noun

The shared customs, beliefs, arts, and way of life of a particular group of people.

cultured

adjective

Well-educated and refined in manner, taste, or knowledge of the arts.

culver

noun

An old word for a wood pigeon or dove.

culvert

noun

A pipe or covered channel that carries a stream, ditch or drainage water underneath a road, railway or embankment.

cum

preposition

Combined with; serving as both one thing and another.

cumber

verb

To slow down; to hinder; to burden; to encumber.

Cumberland

name

A historic county in northwest England, now largely part of Cumbria.

cumbersome

adjective

Awkward or difficult to handle, carry, or manage because of size, weight, or complexity.

cumbrous

adj

Unwieldy because of size or weight; cumbersome.

cumbucket

noun

Synonym of cum guzzler (in all senses).