English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Carole

name

A feminine given name of French origin, a variant of Carol.

carolean

adj

Connected with someone called Charles, or with a place, thing or period named after him.

Carolina

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, a form of Caroline; also short for North Carolina or South Carolina in the United States.

Caroline

adjective

Relating to the reigns of a king named Charles, especially Charles I or II of England.

caroling

noun

The activity of singing carols, especially going from house to house at Christmas.

Caroll

name

A surname, a variant spelling of Carroll.

Carolyn

name

A feminine given name, a variant of Caroline used in English since the 19th century.

carom

verb

To strike something and bounce off it at an angle, often going on to hit something else.

caron

noun

A small v-shaped mark placed over a letter to change its pronunciation, as in the Czech "č"; also called a háček.

carotid

noun

Either of the two main arteries in the neck that carry blood up to the head and brain.

carousal

noun

A loud, lively party where people drink a lot of alcohol.

carouse

verb

To take part in a lively, often drunken, party.

carousel

noun

A revolving amusement-park ride with seats, often shaped like horses, that riders sit on as it turns; a merry-go-round.

carp

noun

A large freshwater fish often found in ponds, lakes, and slow rivers, and sometimes farmed for food.

carpaccio

noun

A dish of very thinly sliced raw meat or fish, typically served cold as an appetizer.

carpal

noun

Any of the small bones that make up the wrist.

carpe diem

phrase

Seize the day: make the most of the present rather than worrying about the future.

carpenter

noun

A person skilled in cutting, shaping, and joining wood to build or repair structures and furniture.

Carpentier

name

A French surname meaning "carpenter."

carpenting

noun

The job or skill of making and fixing things out of wood.

carpentry

noun

The skill or trade of working with wood to build or repair structures and objects.

carpet

noun

A thick woven fabric covering used on floors.

carpeting

noun

Carpet material in general, especially when discussing buying, laying, or removing it.

carpetmonger

noun

A person whose trade is buying and selling carpets.

carpool

noun

An arrangement in which several people share a car for regular trips, such as commuting, to save money or reduce traffic.

carpus

noun

The set of small bones that form the wrist.

carr

noun

A patch of marshy or waterlogged ground, sometimes wooded with willows or other water-tolerant trees.

carrel

noun

A small, enclosed desk area for quiet reading or study, usually in a library.

Carrera

name

A Spanish surname.

carriable

adj

Small or light enough to be carried; portable.

carriage

noun

The act of carrying something from one place to another.

carriageway

noun

A carriageway is the part of a road used by vehicles, as opposed to pavements or verges.

Carrie

name

A feminine given name, originally a diminutive of Caroline, now also used as a formal given name.

carried out

verb

Performed or completed a task, order, plan or piece of work; the past tense and past participle of carry out.

Carrier

noun

A person, vehicle, or company that transports goods, passengers, or messages.

Carrillo

name

A Spanish surname.

Carrington

name

An English surname and place name, from villages in Greater Manchester and Lincolnshire, England.

carrion

noun

The decaying flesh of a dead animal.

carrol

name

A surname of Irish, of less common usage, variant of Carroll, derived from the Irish Ó Cearbhaill origin.

Carroll

noun

An early-ripening variety of apple.

carrot

noun

A long, tapering orange root vegetable eaten raw or cooked.

carrots

noun

(informal, often as a nickname) A person with red hair.

carroty

adj

Looking, tasting or shaped like a carrot, especially bright orange in colour.

Carruthers

name

A Scottish surname.

carry

verb

To hold something and move it from one place to another.

carryall

noun

A big bag used for carrying lots of things.

carrying

noun

The act of transporting something from place to place.

carryout

noun

Food bought from a shop or restaurant to eat somewhere else.

carsick

adj

Feeling nauseated or dizzy from the motion of riding in a car.

Carson

name

A Scottish surname, also used as a given name; also several places in the US including Carson City, Nevada, named for frontiersman Kit Carson.

Carstairs

name

A Scottish surname and village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

cart

noun

A small wheeled vehicle used for carrying goods, pushed or pulled by a person, animal, or motor.

Carta

name

An Italian and Spanish surname, an occupational name for a notary or document-writer.

cartage

noun

The carrying of goods using a cart.

Cartagena

name

A port city in Murcia, Spain, and also a major coastal city in Colombia.

carte

noun

A menu, especially in the phrase "à la carte," meaning dishes ordered and priced individually.

cartel

noun

A group of businesses or organisations that secretly cooperate to control prices or limit competition.

Carter

noun

A person who drives or operates a horse-drawn cart, especially to deliver goods.

Carthage

name

An ancient city and empire in North Africa, in modern Tunisia, and the rival of ancient Rome.

Carthaginian

adj

Relating to the ancient city of Carthage or its empire.

Cartier

name

A French surname, notably borne by Canadian politician George-Étienne Cartier and the luxury jewelry house.

cartilage

noun

A tough, flexible connective tissue found in joints, the ear, nose, and other parts of the body.

carting

noun

The transporting of goods using a cart or similar vehicle.

cartload

noun

As much as a cart is able to hold at one time.

Cartman

noun

A person who transports goods or passengers by horse and cart.

cartographer

noun

A person whose job is to draw maps.

cartography

noun

The skill or practice of drawing maps of an area's geography.

cartomancy

noun

Telling someone's fortune by reading playing cards, such as tarot cards.

carton

noun

A lightweight box made of cardboard or waxed paper, used to package goods.

cartonful

noun

The amount that fits inside one carton.

cartoon

noun

A humorous or satirical drawing, often with a caption.

cartoonist

noun

A person who draws cartoons for a living.

cartouche

noun

An oval frame in Egyptian hieroglyphics enclosing a royal or divine name.

cartridge

noun

A case containing a bullet and its propellant, ready to be loaded into a firearm.

cartwheel

noun

A gymnastic move in which a person rotates sideways with arms and legs outstretched, briefly balancing on their hands.

cartwright

noun

A craftsman who builds or repairs carts.

Caruso

name

An Italian surname, most famously borne by the opera tenor Enrico Caruso.

caruthers

name

The name of a census-designated place in Fresno County, California, United States.

carve

verb

To cut something, especially to shape it artistically or to slice cooked meat.

carved

adj

Shaped or decorated by cutting.

carver

noun

A person who carves, especially as an artistic craft.

carving

noun

An object made by cutting or shaping wood, stone, or another material.

Cary

name

A surname and given name, a less common spelling of Carey; also several towns in the US, including Cary, North Carolina.

carys

name

A female first name of Welsh origin.

cas

noun

A short form of ‘Cas gene’.

casa

noun

House or home (used informally in English, borrowed from Spanish).

Casablanca

name

The largest city in Morocco, and the title of the classic 1942 film set there.

Casanova

noun

A man known for seducing many women; a charming, promiscuous lover.

casbah

noun

The old fortified quarter of a North African or Middle Eastern city, or the citadel at its heart.

cascade

noun

A waterfall, or a series of small waterfalls tumbling down in stages.

cascading

noun

The action of flowing or tumbling downward in stages, one part after another.

case

noun

A particular situation, instance, or set of facts.

cased

adj

Fitted with, or covered by, a protective case or shell.

caseload

noun

The number of cases a person or team is actively working on at one time.

casework

noun

Work carried out on one particular case, for example in law or social work.

caseworker

noun

A social worker who manages and supports individual clients' cases.

cash

noun

Physical money — banknotes and coins — rather than cheques or card payments.

cash cow

noun

A product, business unit or investment that reliably generates far more money than it costs to run, often used to fund riskier parts of a company.

cashed

adj

Informal: completely worn out, used up, or drained of energy.

cashew

noun

A tropical tree grown for its kidney-shaped nuts and its cashew apple.

cashier

noun

Someone who handles payments at a till, shop, or bank.

cashmere

noun

Soft, fine wool combed from the undercoat of the cashmere goat, or fabric woven from it.

cashpoint

noun

A machine in a wall or street where you can take out cash with a card.

Casimir

name

A male given name of Polish origin.

casing

noun

An outer covering that encloses or protects something.

casino

noun

A venue where people gamble on games of chance.

cask

verb

To store or age something, typically a drink, in a barrel.

casket

noun

A small ornamental box, often used for jewellery or keepsakes.

Caspar

name

Traditionally, one of the three Magi (wise men) who visited the infant Jesus.

Casper

name

A variant spelling of the given name Caspar.

Caspian

adj

Relating to the Caspian Sea or the region surrounding it.

casque

noun

A hard bony growth on the head of certain birds and reptiles, such as the cassowary.

Cass

name

A short form of the female given name Cassandra, and sometimes of Cassidy or Cassiopeia.

Cassandra

name

In Greek myth, a Trojan princess gifted with true prophecy but cursed so no one would believe her.

cassava

noun

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

casserole

noun

A deep dish with a lid used for slow-cooking food in the oven.

cassette

noun

A small plastic case holding a reel of magnetic tape for recording or playing audio or video.

Cassidy

name

A surname of Irish origin, anglicized from Ó Caiside, meaning roughly "descendant of the curly-haired one".

Cassie

name

A short, informal form of the given name Cassandra or Cassidy.

Cassini

name

An Italian surname, notably borne by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini.

Cassiopeia

name

In Greek myth, the vain queen of Ethiopia whose boast about her beauty led to her being punished by Poseidon.

Cassius

name

A male given name derived from the ancient Roman family name Cassius.

cassock

noun

A long, close-fitting robe worn by clergy in some Christian traditions.

cassowary

noun

A large flightless bird from Australia and New Guinea that runs fast and has a bony crest on its head.

cast

verb

To throw something, especially with some force or intent.

castanet

noun

A small hand-held instrument made of two curved pieces joined by string, clicked together to make a rhythm.

castaway

noun

A person stranded, typically after a shipwreck, often alone on an island.

caste

noun

One of the hereditary social classes found historically in South Asian societies and elsewhere.

Castel

name

A surname found in several European languages, generally related to the word for "castle" or "fort".

castell

noun

A tall tower of people built by climbing on each other's shoulders at Catalan festivals.

castellan

noun

The official put in charge of guarding and running a castle on behalf of its lord.

castellano

noun

A traditional Spanish unit of weight equal to roughly 4.8 grams, historically used for gold.

castellate

adj

Built or shaped to look like a castle.

castellated

adj

Built to look like a castle, usually with battlements along the top.

castellation

noun

The process of turning a building into a castle.

castello

noun

A municipality of San Marino.

castellum

noun

A small standalone Roman fort, used for keeping watch or sending signals.

caster

noun

A small swivelling wheel fixed to the underside of furniture or equipment so it can roll.

Castiel

name

A male given name, notably used as the name of an angel character in the TV series Supernatural.

castigate

verb

To scold or punish someone harshly.

castigation

noun

Punishment given to correct someone's behaviour; a telling-off.

Castile

name

A historic kingdom and region at the heart of modern Spain.

Castillo

name

A Spanish surname meaning "castle".

casting

noun

The process of choosing actors, models, or performers for roles in a film, show, or advert.

casting couch

noun

The practice by which someone in a position to award acting roles demands sexual favours from a performer in return, used as a byword for that kind of abuse of power in the entertainment industry.

castle

noun

A large fortified building, historically home to a king or noble, built to withstand attack.

castling

noun

(dated) The loss of a pregnancy, or a birth that happens too early.

castor

noun

A small swivelling wheel fitted to the leg of a piece of furniture so it can be rolled.

castoreum

noun

A bitter substance from glands in adult beavers, which they use to mark their territory and which also goes into some perfumes.

castrate

verb

To surgically remove the testicles (or, in females, the ovaries) of an animal or person.