English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

chivalry

noun

The medieval code of conduct for knights, built around honour, courage, mercy, and courtesy.

chives

noun

A thin, mild-tasting herb related to onions, with hollow green stalks often snipped over food as a garnish.

Chiyo

name

A Japanese female given name and surname.

Chiyoko

name

A Japanese female given name.

chlamydia

noun

A common sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria, which often shows no symptoms.

Chlo

name

A diminutive of the female given name Chloe.

Chloe

name

A female given name of Ancient Greek origin, meaning "young green shoot."

chloride

noun

A chemical compound formed when chlorine bonds with another element, such as sodium chloride (table salt).

chlorine

noun

A greenish, toxic gas element, widely used to disinfect water and as a bleaching agent.

chloroform

noun

A sweet-smelling, colourless liquid chemical once used as an anaesthetic and still used today as an industrial solvent.

chlorophyll

noun

The green pigment in plants that captures sunlight and powers photosynthesis.

Cho

name

A Korean or Cantonese surname.

chock

noun

A wedge or block placed against something, especially a wheel, to stop it from moving.

chocolate

noun

A sweet food made from roasted, ground cocoa beans, eaten as a bar, candy, or used as an ingredient.

Choe

name

A Korean surname, a variant of Choi.

Choi

name

A common Korean surname, also used as a Chinese surname romanized from Cantonese.

choice

adj

Of especially high quality; specially selected.

choir

noun

A group of singers who perform together, often in a church or school.

choirboy

noun

A boy who sings in a church or school choir.

choke

verb

To be unable to breathe because something is blocking the throat or windpipe.

choked

adj

Unable to breathe properly because the throat or airway is blocked.

choker

noun

A close-fitting necklace worn snugly around the throat.

choking

noun

The condition of having the airway blocked, making breathing difficult or impossible.

cholera

noun

A severe intestinal infection caused by bacteria in contaminated water or food, causing extreme diarrhoea and dehydration.

cholesterol

noun

A fat-like substance made by the liver and carried in the blood, needed by cells but linked to heart disease at high levels.

cholo

noun

(informal, sometimes offensive) A term, mainly used in the US, for a Mexican-American or Hispanic gang member or someone with that style.

chomp

verb

To bite or chew something noisily and heavily.

chomping

noun

The action or sound of biting and chewing noisily.

Chon

name

A surname.

Chong

name

A surname of Chinese or Korean origin.

choo

noun

A sound imitating a train whistle or the chugging of a steam locomotive.

chook

noun

(chiefly Australian/New Zealand informal) A chicken.

choon

noun

(slang) A song, especially a catchy or popular one, often in dance or club music.

choose

verb

To pick one option from among two or more possibilities.

choosing

noun

The act of selecting or deciding between options.

choosy

adjective

Careful and selective about what you pick, wanting things to match your exact tastes or standards.

chop

noun

A cut of meat, often including part of a rib bone.

Chopin

noun

An old unit of liquid measure roughly equal to half a pint.

chopped

adjective

Cut into small pieces.

chopper

noun

Informal: a helicopter.

choppers

noun

Informal: chopsticks.

chopping

noun

The act of cutting something into pieces.

choppy

adjective

Full of small, rough waves.

Chopra

name

A Punjabi surname.

chopstick

noun

One of a pair of slender sticks used, held in one hand, to pick up and eat food, especially in East Asian cuisine.

chopsticks

noun

A pair of slender sticks, usually of wood, bamboo, or metal, held in one hand and used to pick up food, especially in East Asian cuisines.

choral

adjective

Relating to, written for, or performed by a choir.

chord

noun

Three or more musical notes played together in harmony.

chore

noun

A routine task, especially one needed to keep a home running, such as cleaning or cooking.

choreographed

adjective

Carefully planned and arranged in advance, especially movements or a sequence of actions.

choreographer

noun

A person who designs and arranges dance movements or performance sequences.

choreography

noun

The art or practice of designing and arranging dance movements or sequences of staged movement.

chorizo

noun

A spicy Spanish or Latin American sausage flavoured with paprika.

chortling

noun

The act of laughing in a gleeful, half-snorting way.

chorus

noun

The part of a song that repeats after each verse, usually carrying the main hook.

chose

verb

Past tense of choose: selected or picked.

chosen

adjective

Picked out or selected, often as especially suitable or favoured.

chou

noun

A small round pastry made from choux dough, often filled with cream, as in a cream puff.

chow

noun

Informal: food, especially a meal or snack.

chowder

noun

A thick, creamy soup usually containing seafood or vegetables and potatoes.

Choy

name

A surname from Korean or Cantonese, a variant of Choi.

Chris

name

A common diminutive of the given names Christopher, Christian, or Christina.

chrissake

interjection

Used in mild swearing to show frustration, annoyance, or impatience.

chrissakes

interjection

A variant of "for chrissake," used the same way to show annoyance or impatience.

Chrissie

name

A diminutive of the female given names Christina or Christine.

Chrissy

name

A diminutive of the female given names Christine or Christina.

Christ

noun

The title given to Jesus of Nazareth as the promised messiah in Christian belief.

Christa

name

A female given name of Greek origin, a contraction of Christina.

Christabel

name

A female given name meaning roughly "beautiful follower of Christ."

christen

verb

To baptise someone, especially a baby, and give them a name in a Christian ceremony.

Christendom

noun

The Christian world collectively; all Christians and Christian nations considered as a whole.

christening

noun

The Christian ceremony of baptising and naming someone, usually a baby.

Christensen

name

A Danish and Norwegian surname.

Christer

noun

(informal, often mildly disparaging) A person who makes a show of being religious.

Christian

noun

A person who follows the teachings and faith of Jesus Christ.

Christianity

noun

The Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Christie

noun

A fast ski turn made by swinging the skis sideways while keeping them parallel.

Christina

name

A female given name of Greek origin, meaning "follower of Christ."

Christine

name

A female given name of Greek origin, a variant of Christina.

Christmas

noun

The Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, held on December 25th.

Christmassy

adj

Having the festive look or feeling associated with Christmas.

Christmastime

noun

The period of the year around Christmas; the festive season.

Christopher

name

A male given name meaning "carrier of Christ," from the legend of Saint Christopher carrying the infant Jesus across a river.

Christos

name

A Greek male given name and surname, meaning "Christ."

chroma key

noun

A video and photography technique that removes a specific background colour from footage so it can be digitally replaced with a different image or scene, most commonly using a green or blue backdrop.

chrome

noun

A shiny, silvery coating of chromium applied to other metals.

chromium

noun

A hard, silvery-grey metallic chemical element, symbol Cr, often used for plating and in stainless steel.

chromosome

noun

A thread-like structure of tightly coiled DNA and protein that carries an organism's genes.

chronic

adj

Lasting for a long time or recurring frequently, especially of an illness or problem.

chronically

adv

In a way that persists over a long time or keeps recurring.

chronicle

noun

A record of events set down in the order they happened.

chronicler

noun

A person who writes a record of events, especially historical ones.

Chronicles

noun

A written record of events set down in the order they happened.

chronological

adj

Arranged in the order in which events happened, from earliest to latest.

Chronos

noun

A measured, objective beat or rhythm of time, as distinct from subjective experience of it.

chrysalis

noun

The hard protective case a caterpillar forms around itself while it transforms into a butterfly.

chrysanthemum

noun

A garden plant, native to Asia, prized for its dense, colourful flower heads.

Chrysler

noun

An American car brand, and by extension a car made by it.

chu

intj

A sound imitating a kiss.

chub

noun

A thick-bodied freshwater fish related to carp.

chubby

adj

Slightly overweight in a soft, rounded way.

chuck

noun

A cut of beef from the shoulder area, or the meat itself.

Chuckie

name

A diminutive of the male given name Chuck.

chucking

noun

The act of gripping a workpiece or tool firmly in a chuck.

chuckle

noun

A quiet, restrained laugh.

chuckling

noun

The act of laughing quietly to oneself, usually at something mildly funny.

chucks

intj

British schoolyard slang shouted as a warning that a teacher is approaching.

Chucky

noun

(British slang) A small stone, pebble, or piece of gravel.

chuffed

adj

British informal: very pleased or proud.

chug

verb

To move or run with a repeated dull, laboured sound, as an engine does.

chugger

noun

British informal: a street fundraiser who stops passers-by to ask for charity donations.

chugging

noun

The repeated dull sound made by something running with effort, such as an engine.

Chui

name

A Chinese surname, romanized from Cantonese and Hokkien.

chum

noun

Informal: a close friend.

Chumley

name

An English surname, a pronunciation spelling of Cholmondeley.

chummy

adj

Friendly and familiar, often in a way that seems overly informal.

chump

noun

A foolish or gullible person; someone easily fooled or taken advantage of.

Chun

name

A surname, common among Korean and Chinese families.

Chung

name

A common Korean surname, also used as a Chinese surname.

chunk

noun

A thick, irregular piece or lump of something.

chunky

adj

Made up of or containing thick chunks or pieces.

Chuny

name

A female given name of African-American usage, originating as a coinage.

church

noun

A building used for Christian worship.

churchyard

noun

The grounds surrounding a church, often used as a burial ground.

churn

verb

To stir or agitate a liquid vigorously, especially to make butter from cream.

churning

noun

The act of stirring or agitating something vigorously, especially cream or milk to make butter.

churro

noun

A fried, ridged pastry of Spanish origin, often dusted with sugar and served with chocolate for dipping.

chute

noun

A sloped or vertical channel used to slide or drop objects from a higher point to a lower one.

chutney

noun

A spicy or tangy condiment, typically made from fruit or vegetables, originating in South Asian cuisine.

chutzpah

noun

Bold self-confidence or audacity, especially of a shameless or impressive kind.

Chuy

name

A name for the Chu, a river flowing through Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

ci

noun

A traditional form of Chinese lyric poetry written to fit fixed tonal and rhythmic patterns.

ciao

intj

An informal greeting or farewell, meaning both "hello" and "goodbye".

Ciara

name

A female given name of Irish origin, a feminine form of Ciaran, meaning "dark-haired."

cicada

noun

A large insect known for the loud, buzzing song males produce, often heard in summer.

Cicely

noun

Sweet cicely, a fragrant herb with feathery leaves and an aniseed flavor, used in cooking.

Cicero

noun

A unit of measurement in printing, equal to about 4.5 millimetres, used mainly in continental Europe as the counterpart to the English pica.

CID

noun

An abbreviation used for various criminal investigation departments or divisions within police and military organizations.

cider

noun

A drink made from fermented apple juice, which may be alcoholic or not depending on region.

Cielo

name

A surname, from the Spanish and Italian word for "sky" or "heaven."

cig

noun

Informal shortening of "cigarette".

cigar

noun

A roll of tobacco leaves wrapped for smoking, typically thicker and stronger than a cigarette.

cigarette

noun

A thin roll of shredded tobacco wrapped in paper, meant for smoking.

cilantro

noun

The fresh leaves and stems of the coriander plant, used as a herb in cooking.

Cilla

name

A female given name, a diminutive of Priscilla.

cinch

noun

Something very easy to do; a sure thing.

Cincinnati

name

A major city in southwestern Ohio, on the Ohio River.

Cinco

name

A surname common among Filipinos of Chinese ancestry, from Hokkien via Philippine Spanish.

cinder

noun

A small piece of partly burnt coal, wood, or other material left after combustion.

Cinderella

noun

A person or thing that unexpectedly rises from obscurity to success.