Word origins

• chamotteA ceramic raw material with a high percentage of silica and alumina.
• champaineCurved (concave), enarched, or sometimes varriated; especially in the phrase point champaine, an abatement consisting of a curved (or sometimes horizontal) stain the bottom of the shield.
• 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.
• champertorOne guilty of champerty; one who purchases a suit, or the right of suing, and carries it on at his or her own expense, in order to obtain a share of the gain.
• Champigny-sur-MarneA commune in Val-de-Marne department, Île-de-France, France.
• Champlain ValleyA north–south running valley surrounding Lake Champlain, in upstate New York State, Vermont and southern Quebec, spanning the United States and Canada, mostly lying within the U.S.; separating the Adirondacks from the Green Mountains and Appalachians.
• 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.
• chanfrinThe forepart of a horse's head.
• chanson de gesteA type of epic medieval French poem, having a characteristic verse form and typically featuring historical characters.
• chansonnetteA little song.
• chansonnierA book which contains a collection of chansons.
• chantageSynonym of blackmail.
• chantantPlayed in a melodious and singsong style.
• chantefableA form of Medieval French literature with alternative spoken and sung passages.
• chantepleureTo sing and cry at the same time.
• chantoosieA woman employed to sing in a nightclub.
• 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.
• chantwellA (generally female) lead singer of traditional cariso music, or of a calypso band.
• chapeaugraphyA style of performance art in which the performer manipulates a piece of fabric into the shapes of various hats.
• 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.
• characteristic rootAn eigenvalue.
• 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.
• charterpartyA contract between a shipowner and a merchant, under which a ship is hired for the conveyance of goods, etc.
• 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.
• chassé-croiséA figure between two partners, in which one chassés left then right, while the other chassés right then left.
• chasse-maréeA French coasting lugger.
• 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.
• Chaudière-AppalachesA region of Quebec, Canada.
• chaud-medleySynonym of chance-medley.
• 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.
• chausséeLevel of soil.
• 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.
• cheval glassA long mirror, mounted on a swivel in a frame, allowing it to be tilted.
• chevalineHorse meat.
• chevelureThe nebulous part of a comet or star.
• chevenA river fish, the chub.
• chevetSynonym of apse chapel.
• chevilleA word or phrase whose only function is to make a sentence metrically balanced.
• chevonThe meat of a goat.
• 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.
• chevronnyHaving chevrons, especially (heraldry) charged with chevrons.
• chevrotainAny of several small hornless ruminants of the family Tragulidae, native to tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia, and Central and West Africa.
• chewetA kind of meat pie.
• chiboukA Turkish tobacco pipe.
• chicotteA long knotted whip with a wooden handle, formerly used as a punishment in the Congo and Portuguese Africa.
• chiengoraDog hair used as a textile.
• ChiersA river in Europe that flows for about 130 km (81 mi) through Luxembourg, Belgium and France; it joins the Meuse near Sedan.
• chiffonadeA culinary preparation of herbs or leafy vegetables cut into long, thin ribbons.
• chiffonierA tall, elegant chest of drawers, often with a mirror attached.
• chignonA roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun.
• ChildebertA male given name from Frankish, of historical usage, equivalent to English Hilbert, notably borne by various Frankish kings.
• ChildericA male given name of mainly historical use, borne by several kings of the Franks.
• ChilpericA male given name from the Germanic languages, of historical usage, notably borne by various Frankish and Burgundian kings.
• chinéMottled in appearance, from the warp being dyed in different colours, or from threads of different colours twisted together.
• Chinese pieSynonym of pâté chinois.
• chipolataA type of sausage from Europe, typically of seasoned coarsely ground pork.
• chirographySynonym of handwriting or penmanship, one's personal skill at writing.
• ChirolA surname from French.
• chironomyThe art of using effective hand gestures, especially (historical) in Greco-Roman contexts.