English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Cavaliere

name

An Italian surname, related to the word for "knight" or "gentleman."

cavalry

noun

Soldiers who fight from horseback, or, in modern armies, troops who move by fast, light vehicles.

cavalryman

noun

A soldier who serves in the cavalry.

Cavanaugh

name

An Irish surname, a variant of Kavanagh.

cave

noun

A natural hollow space underground or in the side of a cliff or hill.

caveat

noun

A warning or condition attached to a statement, agreement, or piece of advice.

caveating

noun

In fencing, moving your sword from one side of your opponent's blade to the other.

caveman

noun

A prehistoric human popularly imagined as living in caves.

Cavendish

noun

A type of leaf tobacco that's been sweetened and pressed into cakes or plugs.

cavern

noun

A large cave, especially one with a spacious underground chamber.

cavernous

adj

Like a cave in its size, shape or feel.

caviar

noun

The salted roe (eggs) of the sturgeon, eaten as a luxury food.

caving

noun

The recreational activity of exploring caves.

cavity

noun

A hollow space or hole inside something solid.

cavort

verb

To jump and dance around in a lively, playful way.

cavorting

noun

Playful, lively, or boisterous behaviour, often frisky or a bit reckless.

caw

noun

The harsh, croaking cry made by a crow or similar bird.

Cawdor

name

A village and castle in the Scottish Highlands, famous as a setting in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

cawing

noun

The harsh, repeated cry made by crows or similar birds.

Caws

name

A surname.

Cayenne

noun

A hot ground spice made from dried red chilli peppers.

Cayman

adj

Relating to the Cayman Islands, a Caribbean territory known as an offshore banking and tax haven.

Caymans

name

An informal name for the Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean Sea.

CBA

abbreviation

Can't be bothered: used in messages to say that you have no energy or willingness to do something.

cc

abbreviation

Carbon copy: the email field used to send a visible copy of a message to people other than the main recipient.

cc and bcc

noun

The two email fields that send a copy of a message to additional people: cc (carbon copy) lists those recipients openly, so everyone can see them, while bcc (blind carbon copy) hides them, so no other recipient knows they received it.

CCP

noun

The Chinese Communist Party, the sole governing party of the People's Republic of China, founded in 1921 and in power since 1949.

cD

noun

A compact disc: a small plastic disc used to store and play back digital audio or data.

CDN

noun

A network of servers spread across many locations that keep copies of a website's files, so each visitor is served from somewhere geographically close rather than from one central machine.

Ce

name

A diminutive of the feminine given name Celia.

cease

verb

To stop happening or existing; to come to an end.

cease and desist

noun

A formal demand, usually sent as a letter by a lawyer, ordering someone to stop an activity said to be unlawful — such as using a trademark, publishing a claim or contacting a person — and warning of legal action if they do not.

ceasefire

noun

A formal agreement between opposing sides to stop fighting, usually temporary.

ceaseless

adj

Never stopping; going on constantly without a break.

Ceausescu

name

A Romanian surname, most notably borne by Nicolae Ceaușescu, the communist dictator of Romania.

Cece

name

A diminutive of the feminine given name Cecilia.

cecelia

name

A female first name of Latin, variant of Cecilia origin.

Ceci

name

An Italian surname.

Cecil

noun

A small fried patty made of minced meat, breadcrumbs, and onions.

Cecile

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, the French form of Cecilia.

Cecilia

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, popularized by Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

Cecily

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, a medieval English form of Cecilia.

cedar

noun

A large coniferous evergreen tree prized for its fragrant, durable wood.

cede

verb

To formally give up land, rights, or power to someone else.

Cedric

name

A masculine given name invented by Sir Walter Scott for his novel Ivanhoe, likely based on the Saxon king Cerdic.

cee

noun

The name of the letter C.

ceil

verb

To cover a wall or other surface with a layer of plaster, boards or a similar material.

ceiling

noun

The interior surface that forms the top of a room.

celeb

noun

An informal short form of "celebrity" — a well-known, famous person.

celebrant

noun

Someone who leads a religious ceremony, such as a wedding or Communion.

celebrate

verb

To mark a special event or achievement with enjoyment, often through some kind of gathering or ritual.

celebrated

adj

Famous or widely admired.

celebrating

verb

The '-ing' form of celebrate: marking a special occasion with enjoyment or ceremony.

celebration

noun

A gathering or event held to enjoy and mark a happy occasion.

celebrative

adj

Connected with celebrating, or done as part of a celebration.

celebrator

noun

Someone who celebrates or praises something.

celebratory

adj

Marking or having the feel of a celebration.

celebrity

noun

A famous person, especially one known through entertainment or media.

celeripede

noun

An early type of bicycle with two same-sized wheels joined by a wooden bar, with no pedals or steering.

celerity

noun

Quickness; rapidity.

celery

noun

A pale green vegetable with long crunchy stalks, eaten raw or cooked.

celest

adj

Another word for celestial.

celesta

noun

A musical instrument with a keyboard that works small hammers to strike a row of steel plates.

Celeste

name

A feminine given name of French and Latin origin meaning "heavenly"; also a small city in Texas.

Celestia

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, related to the word "celestial."

celestial

adj

Relating to the sky or outer space — the sun, moon, planets, and stars.

celestina

name

A female given name, a variant form of Celestine.

celestine

noun

A pale blue-white mineral (strontium sulfate) that forms in orthorhombic crystals, mined mainly as a source of strontium.

Celia

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, introduced into English by Shakespeare in As You Like It.

celibacy

noun

The state of not marrying, often for religious reasons.

celibate

adj

Not married, or abstaining from sexual activity.

celibatist

noun

A person who remains unmarried.

Celina

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, a variant of Celine; also several towns in the US, including Celina, Ohio.

Celine

name

A feminine given name of French and Latin origin, also the name of the singer Celine Dion.

cell

noun

The smallest basic unit of a living organism, capable of growing and reproducing itself.

cellar

noun

An underground room, often used for storage.

cellaret

noun

A deep drawer in a sideboard, often lined with metal, used for keeping bottles of wine and spirits.

cellblock

noun

A section of a prison containing a row or group of cells.

cellist

noun

A person who plays the cello.

cellmate

noun

A person who shares a prison cell with someone.

cello

noun

A large, deep-toned stringed instrument played upright with a bow, held between the knees.

cellophane

noun

A thin, transparent plastic film, often used for wrapping.

cellphone

noun

A portable telephone that connects to a wireless network; a mobile phone.

cellular

adj

Relating to, made up of, or resembling biological cells.

cellulite

noun

A dimpled appearance of the skin caused by fat pushing against connective tissue underneath, often on the thighs or hips.

cellulitis

noun

An inflammation of subcutaneous or connective tissue caused by a bacterial infection.

celluloid

noun

An early type of flexible plastic once used to make photographic and movie film.

cellulose

noun

A carbohydrate that makes up most of the cell walls in plants, and is used to make things like paper, cloth and medicines.

cellulosic

adj

Made from, or related to, cellulose.

celly

noun

(informal) A prison cell.

Celsius

adj

Relating to the temperature scale where water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees.

celt

noun

A person belonging to one of the ancient Western European peoples the Romans called the Celtae.

Celtic

adj

Relating to the Celts, an ancient group of peoples across Western and Central Europe, or their languages and culture.

Celtics

name

The name of several sports teams, most famously the Boston Celtics basketball team.

cem

noun

An informal shortening of "cemetery."

cement

noun

A grey powder made from limestone and clay that hardens into a solid mass when mixed with water; the main binding ingredient in concrete.

cemented

adj

Made firm, solid, or permanent.

cementite

noun

A hard compound of iron and carbon, Fe₃C, found in steel.

cemetery

noun

A place where the dead are buried; a graveyard.

cenotaph

noun

A monument built to honour people, often soldiers, who died and are buried elsewhere, usually shaped like an empty tomb.

cense

noun

(archaic) A tax paid to the public purse.

censer

noun

A decorated container in which incense is burned, especially during religious ceremonies.

censor

noun

An official who reviews books, films, or other media and removes content considered objectionable or dangerous.

censored

adj

Having had objectionable material removed or blocked.

censorial

adj

Connected with a censor, an official who checks and controls content.

censorian

adj

An archaic form of censorial.

censorious

adj

Quick to criticise and disapprove of other people.

censoriousness

noun

The quality of being overly critical of other people.

censorship

noun

The suppression or control of speech, writing, or other media by an authority.

censurable

adj

Deserving strong criticism or blame.

censure

noun

Strong, formal criticism or disapproval.

census

noun

An official count of a population, usually carried out at regular intervals.

cent

noun

A unit of money worth one hundredth of the main currency in many countries, shown with the symbol ¢.

centaur

noun

A creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse.

centaurus

name

A constellation of the northern sky's spring skies (and the southern sky's autumn), depicting a centaur, whose stars include Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman), Proxima Centauri, and Hadar.

centenarian

noun

A person, or occasionally a thing, that has reached the age of 100 or more.

centenary

adj

Connected with the number one hundred.

centennial

adj

Relating to a hundredth anniversary.

center

noun

The point exactly in the middle of something, equally distant from all its edges or sides.

centered

adj

Positioned in the middle of something.

centerfold

noun

The large foldout page in the middle of a magazine, often used for a big photo.

centering

noun

(construction) Temporary wooden or metal support used while building an arch or bridge.

centesimate

verb

(historical) To choose and punish one person out of every hundred.

centigrade

adj

Divided into 100 equal degrees or units.

centilitre

noun

A unit of volume or capacity of one hundredth of a litre. Symbol: cl

centimeter

noun

A unit of length equal to one hundredth of a meter.

centimetre

noun

A metric unit of length equal to a hundredth of a metre.

centipawn

noun

In computer chess, a unit equal to one hundredth of a pawn's value, used to score a position.

centipede

noun

A small, many-legged arthropod with a long, segmented body and one pair of legs per segment.

central

adj

Located at or near the middle of something.

centralised

adj

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of centralized.

centralism

noun

A system, especially of government, in which power is held centrally rather than spread out.

centralization

noun

The process of bringing separate parts together under a single, central authority or control.

centralized

adj

Brought together and controlled from a single main point or authority.

centre

noun

UK, Canadian, Australian, and Irish spelling of center — the middle point of something, or a building used for a specific purpose.

centred

adj

UK spelling of centered — placed in the middle, or calm and emotionally balanced.

centric

adjective

Placed at or forming the centre; central.

centrifugal

adj

Moving or tending to move away from the center.

centrifugate

noun

(science) The denser material left behind after a centrifuge has separated a mixture.

centrifuge

noun

A machine that spins samples at high speed to separate substances of different densities.

centripetal

adj

Moving or pointing inward, toward the middle of something.

centrism

noun

A political outlook that favours moderate positions between the left and the right.

centrist

adj

Relating to, or supporting, moderate political views that avoid either extreme.

centroid

noun

The point where all of a body's weight, or another force spread evenly through it, can be thought of as acting; the centre of gravity or mass.

centuple

adj

Equal to a hundred times as much.

centuplet

noun

Another word for a hundred: a group of 100 things or people.

centurion

noun

An officer in the ancient Roman army who commanded a unit of about 100 soldiers.

century

noun

A period of one hundred years.

CEO

noun

Chief Executive Officer: the person with overall responsibility for running a company.

cephalopod

noun

Any mollusc belonging to the group that includes squid, cuttlefish, octopus and nautiloids.