Word origins

• chilverA female lamb.
• chimbThe projecting edge of a cask or barrel, formed by the joined ends of the staves.
• chimereThe upper robe worn by some bishops of the Anglican communion, usually without sleeves.
• chirmA din or confused noise, as of many voices, birdsong, etc.
• chiromancySynonym of palmistry: fortune-telling performed by reading another's hand.
• chirurgicalSurgical.
• chirurgysurgery
• chitterlingThe frill to the breast of a shirt.
• chitterlingsSmall intestine, cleaned and defatted, usually of a pig. Sometimes prepared with hog maws.
• chock fullContaining the maximum amount possible, flush on all sides, jam-packed, crammed.
• choicelyTaking care in choosing; with attention to preference.
• CholmondestonA village in Cheshire, England.
• choosableAble to be chosen or selected.
• chrismatoryPart of a church set aside for the rite of confirmation.
• ChristianhoodThe state or condition of being a Christian.
• Christianlybefitting a Christian.
• Christmas DayThe day on which Christmas is celebrated. It is December 25 in the West, and January 7 in some Eastern Orthodox churches.
• Christmas EveThe evening before Christmas Day.
• chrysoliteOriginally, any of various green-coloured gems; later specifically peridot.
• church-aleA church or parish festival (as in commemoration of the dedication of a church), at which much ale was drunk.
• church doorA door to a church, especially the front door (or double doors) that open directly to the narthex or nave, often ornate.
• churchlyPertaining to or relating to the church, its government, forms, or ceremonies; ecclesiastical.
• churchmasterA churchwarden.
• churchscotA payment once paid to support the clergy, sometimes in the form of livestock, grain, or other crops.
• churchsetSynonym of churchscot.
• churchworkThe work done by a church to spread religion.
• churlishnessthe state of being churlish
• churlyrude; churlish; violent
• churrTo make the low vocal sound of some birds.
• ciclatounA costly cloth, of uncertain material, used in the Middle Ages.
• ciergeA wax candle used in religious rites.
• cingleA kind of belt or other girdle.
• cironThe itch mite (Sarcoptes scabiei), which infects the skin.
• civeyA kind of chive sauce served with game or seafood.
• clagA glue or paste made from starch.
• clarified butterA cooking fat made by gently heating butter and separating the solids from the butterfat.
• clayenOf clay; made of clay.
• cleadTo clothe.
• cleamTo smear, rub on, or anoint; to bedaub with an oily or sticky substance.
• clear as crystalEntirely transparent.
• clega blood-sucking fly of the family Tabanidae: gadfly, horsefly, deer fly, blind-fly, tabanid
• clepeTo give a call; cry out; appeal.
• clerklessWithout clerks.
• clinker-builtOf a boat or ship: where the hull planks overlap each other edge-to-edge, similar to shingles on a roof, and are secured by clenched nails or rivets for a strong, watertight seal.
• cloamClay.
• cloddyCharacterized by the presence of clods
• clogmakerA manufacturer of clogs (type of shoe).
• cloistererOne belonging to, or living in, a cloister; a recluse.
• close-stoolA chamber pot enclosed in a stool or box; a commode.
• cloteThe common burdock; the clotbur.
• clothlessWithout cloth or a cloth.
• clottyFull of clots, or clods.
• cloudfulAbounding with clouds, clouded, cloudy.
• cloutingThe act of giving a clout, or striking somebody.
• cloven-footedHaving the foot divided into parts; cloven-hoofed; fissiped.
• clumseTo numb; benumb; stiffen or paralyse with cold or fear
• clunterA large mass or lump.
• coactionForce; compulsion, either in restraining or impelling
• coal blackOf an intensely black colour, like that of coal.
• coal-meterA licensed or official measurer of coal; (especially in London) One responsible for supervising the loading, unloading, and weighing of coal to ensure accurate quantity and payment.
• coal mineA mine from which coal (such as lignite or anthracite) is mined.
• coalmouseAny member of the species Periparus ater of small titmouses with a black head; a coaltit.
• coalpitA pit where coal is extracted.
• coat armourThe escutcheon of a person or family, with its charges, mantling, crest, supporters, motto, etc.
• coathSickness; disease; pestilence.
• coat of armsHereditary designs and symbols depicted on an escutcheon, sometimes accompanied by other elements of a heraldic achievement, such as a helm, crest, crest coronet, torse, mantling and supporters; described by a blazon.
• cockcrowThe time of day at which the first crow of a cockerel is heard; dawn or daybreak; first light.
• cockcrowingThe crowing sound of a cock.
• cocketA document issued by the bond office stating that duty has been paid and goods may be sold.
• cockscrowThe crowing of a cock.
• cockshutA kind of net for catching woodcock.
• coenobySynonym of coenobium.
• coexecutrixA joint executrix.
• cofeoffeeA joint feoffee; one of a group of individuals jointly holding a fief.
• coffererOne who keeps treasures in a coffer; a treasurer.
• cognationA cognate relationship.
• cold as iceVery cold.
• colewortA plant of the genus Brassica; now specifically, a Brassica plant without a head and used for food, such as kale.
• collarmakerSomeone who makes collars.
• colligateTo tie or bind together.
• collowTo make foul or dirty; begrime as with the smut of coal; blacken.
• coltishLively, playful and undisciplined (often in a manner judged to be immature).
• colt's toothOne of a horse's first set of teeth.
• combattantIn fighting position; said of two lions set face to face, each rampant.
• come fromTo have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
• come inTo enter.
• comelilyIn an attractive or pleasing manner; attractively, beautifully, handsomely, pleasingly.
• comelingA comer; (person) an arrival.
• comessationFeasting, banqueting.
• come throughTo come into a room or other space through a door or passageway.
• commandableCapable of being commanded.
• commistionCommixture.
• committableCapable of being committed.
• commixTo mix separate things together.
• commixtTo commix.
• commixtionThe action of mixing or blending together; commingling.
• common lawLaw developed by judges, courts, and agency adjudicatory tribunals, through their decisions and opinions (also called case law) (as opposed to statutes promulgated by legislatures, and regulations promulgated by the executive branch).
• commoveTo move violently; to agitate, excite or rouse
• compassingcurved; bent
• compellableCapable of being compelled or constrained.