Word origins

• caulicoleSynonym of cauliculus.
• cauriA former monetary subdivision, equivalent to one hundredth of a Guinean syli.
• causeuseA sofa for two people; a love seat or tête-à-tête.
• cavagnoleA game of chance similar to roulette, played for low stakes on a board on which the numbers 1 to 70 are marked.
• Cavalaire-sur-MerA commune and town in Var department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
• cavessonA part of a horse's bridle that consists of a headstall with a noseband. When a martingale is used, it is attached to the horse's head at the cavesson.
• CazavetA village in Ariège department, France.
• CazeauA surname from French.
• cédilleA cedilla.
• cégepA publicly funded school that combines grade 12 with either college or freshman year of university, depending on the programme. It can be a public-sector school or a private school with some public funding, though those with "CEGEP" in the name are usually public-sector. In Québec's system, it is a required step between secondary school (ending in grade 11) and university (starting in sophomore year).
• ceinture fléchéeA colourful woolen sash traditionally worn by Quebecers, Acadians and Métis.
• celerifereA supposed early wooden form of the bicycle, without pedals, gears or steering; later determined to be a hoax.
• celeripedeAn early form of the bicycle, consisting of two wheels of equal diameter attached by a wooden bar and lacking either pedals or a means of steering.
• céleri rémouladeA traditional French salad associating celeriac with rémoulade
• censiveRelating to censive tenure; held in return for the payment of a cens (a feudal rent).
• centi-one-hundredth
• centigramAn SI unit of mass equal to 10⁻² grams. Symbol: cg
• centilitreA unit of volume or capacity of one hundredth of a litre. Symbol: cl
• centimeA former subunit of currency equal to one-hundredth of the franc.
• Centre-du-QuébecA region of Quebec, Canada.
• cépageA variety of grape.
• -cephalyhead
• cerementA burial shroud or garment.
• CéretA small town in Pyrénées-Orientales department, Occitania, known for a number of artists who worked there in the early 20th century.
• ceruseSynonym of white lead, a hydrate of lead mixed with carbonate, particularly as used to whiten skin or in early medicine.
• c'est la vieAn expression of acceptance of misfortune in life; that's life; such is life; so it goes
• chabretteA kind of French bagpipe.
• chadon beniCulantro (Eryngium foetidum), a tropical herb whose leaves are used medicinally and in Caribbean cuisine.
• chaîne opératoireThe technical processes and social acts involved in the production, use, and eventual disposal of artifacts; used to guide step-by-step analysis.
• chainonA secondary range of mountains.
• chaise longueA reclining chair with a long seat, which can support the outstretched legs of a sitter normally with one armrest.
• ChalabreA town and commune of Aude department, Occitania, France.
• chalcanthumCopper(II) sulfate (CuSO₄).
• chaloupeA launch (type of boat).
• chalumeauA woodwind instrument which was the predecessor of the clarinet.
• chamadeA signal sounded on a drum or trumpet inviting a parley.
• chambranleIn architecture, the case or frame used on three sides around a chamber door, large window, or fireplace mantel, and the border decorations.
• chambréOf wine: brought to room temperature for the room in which it is to be served.
• chamotteA ceramic raw material with a high percentage of silica and alumina.
• champ closA field officially set aside for the fighting of a knightly duel or tournament: the area enclosed by the lists.
• ChampenoisOf, from or relating to Champagne, wine-producing cultural region, part of the administrative region of Grand Est, France.
• Champigny-sur-MarneA commune in Val-de-Marne department, Île-de-France, France.
• champlevéHaving the ground engraved or cut out in the parts to be enamelled; inlaid in depressions made in the ground; said of a kind of enamel work in which depressions made in the surface are filled with enamel pastes, which are then fired.
• chandelleAn aerobatic maneuver in which a 180° turn is combined with a climb.
• chansonnetteA little song.
• chansonnierA book which contains a collection of chansons.
• chantageSynonym of blackmail.
• chantefableA form of Medieval French literature with alternative spoken and sung passages.
• chant royalA complicated French poetic form, a variation of the ballad form, consisting of five eleven-line stanzas with the rhyme scheme a-b-a-b-c-c-d-d-e-d-E and a five-line envoi rhyming d-d-e-d-E or a seven-line envoi c-c-d-d-e-d-E. Rhyming words cannot be repeated.
• chapel de ferA kettle hat, a type of helmet.
• chapeletA pair of straps, with stirrups, joined at the top and fastened to the pommel or the frame of the saddle, after they have been adjusted to the convenience of the rider.
• chapelle ardenteA chapel or room in which the corpse of a sovereign or other exalted personage lies in state pending the funeral service.
• chappeA piece, typically of leather, fitted to the crossguard of European swords of the later medieval period, attested mainly in art, of uncertain purpose.
• charabancA horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof.
• CharbonnetA surname from French.
• charbonnierA species of fungus in the family Tricholomataceae, Tricholoma portentosum.
• charcutierA French or French-style butcher, one specializing in charcuterie.
• Charenton-le-PontA commune in Val-de-Marne department, Île-de-France, France.
• chargé d'affairesA diplomat, ranking below an ambassador, who heads a diplomatic mission when no ambassador is present, either temporarily (in the interim between the departure of one ambassador and the accreditation of another) or for an extended time.
• ChargoisA surname from French.
• charlatanerieTrickery, deception; quality of being a charlatan.
• charlatanryThe state of being a charlatan.
• charlotte russeA dessert of custard or whipped cream enclosed in sponge cake, often in the form of ladyfingers.
• chasséA gliding movement in dance (especially ballet) with the same foot always leading.
• chasse-caféA small serving of spirits taken to remove the taste of coffee, tobacco, etc.
• châteauA French castle, fortress, manor house, or large country house.
• ChâteauguayA city in Montérégie, Quebec, Canada
• ChâteaurouxA commune, the capital of Indre department, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
• Châtelaillon-PlageA commune and town in the Charente-Maritime department, Poitou-Charentes, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
• chatoyantHaving a certain optical reflectance effect, which can be likened to the sheen of a spool of silk.
• chatoymentChangeableness of color, as in a mineral; play of colors.
• chaud-froidA type of food consisting of cooked meat or fish served cold in jelly or sauce.
• ChaudoinA surname from French.
• chausseArmor for the legs, usually made of mail, either covering the entire leg from foot to thigh, or variously covering only the thigh or only the calf and foot, with the chausson covering the other half of the leg.
• chausséShoed; wearing shoes.
• ChefchaouenA city in the region of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco.
• chef de cuisineThe main or executive chef in a restaurant.
• chef de missionHead of a sports delegation, especially to an international games.
• chef de partieA chef in charge of a particular area of production in the kitchen, such as fish or roast meats.
• chef de rangA waiter responsible for a certain section within a restaurant.
• chef d'œuvreA piece of work that has been given much critical praise, especially one considered the greatest work of a person's career.
• chelemThe act or contract for winning all, or almost all, of the possible tricks.
• chemin de ferA card game, a variation of baccarat.
• chemin de rondeA raised protected walkway behind a castle battlement.
• chemisetteAn item of women's clothing, popular in the 1860s and 1870s, worn to fill in the front and neckline of any garment.
• chenetfire dog, andiron
• cherchTo scrounge, to obtain in an unintended fashion, to scrape together.
• CherchellA city in Tipaza, Algeria.
• ChéticampA community on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
• chétifSickly; weak.
• cheval de friseAn obstacle made of wood with spikes, for use against attacking cavalry.
• chevaletA rack or rest used in woodwork or glassworking.
• chevalineHorse meat.
• chevelureThe nebulous part of a comet or star.
• chevilleA word or phrase whose only function is to make a sentence metrically balanced.
• chèvreCheese from goat’s milk, especially
• chevretteA machine for raising guns (such as a howitzer) or mortar into their carriages.
• chevreuilA roe deer, a roebuck.
• chevrotainAny of several small hornless ruminants of the family Tragulidae, native to tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia, and Central and West Africa.
• chiboukA Turkish tobacco pipe.