Word origins

• chiropterA member of the order Chiroptera, a bat
• chito-Related to chitin.
• ChleuhA member of a Berber ethnic group living mainly in Morocco's Atlas Mountains and Souss Valley.
• chloruratedchlorinated
• chocardthe chough (any of various birds)
• chocolatièreA pot for chocolate.
• chocolatineSynonym of pain au chocolat.
• Choisy-le-RoiA commune in Val-de-Marne department, Île-de-France, France.
• chomageA period when a mill, factory, etc. stands still or idle.
• chômeurAn actant that has been 'demoted' to a less salient syntactic position, such as the agent of a passive clause.
• chondrologyThe branch of anatomy that deals with cartilage.
• chopineA bottle of wine (usually Bordeaux) containing 0.250 fluid liters, ⅓ of the volume of a standard bottle.
• chordeeAn abnormal downward curve to the erect penis.
• choreea choreus, trochee (a foot of two syllables, the first long and the second short)
• choristA singer in a choir; a chorister.
• chose jugéeA point, issue etc. which has already been decided (especially legally) and is therefore not worth discussing.
• chottA dry salt lake, in the Saharan area of Africa, that stays dry in the summer but receives some water in the winter.
• choucroutesauerkraut
• chou moellierA cultivated variety of Brassica oleracea, or a cross between cabbage, kohlrabi, and kale, used as fodder
• chouquetteA small choux pastry made with dough sprinkled with sugar.
• christophinechayote
• chromoluminarismSynonym of divisionism.
• chromoluminaristof, pertaining to, or in the style of chromoluminarism
• chronique scandaleuseA journalistic account of a love affair, crime, or other scandalous event.
• chronologistA person skilled in chronology.
• CHSLDA long term care hospital facility
• chuchotageThe interpretation or translation of speech in a whisper to a single person or small group in proximity to others who aren't listening to the translation.
• cibolA perennial onion plant, Allium fistulosum, commonly called Welsh onion.
• ci-devantFormer, late.
• ciliceA garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair worn close to the skin used by members of various Christian traditions as a self-imposed means of penance (repentance) and mortification of the flesh.
• CimiezA neighborhood of Nice, France.
• -cinbacteriocin
• cindynicsThe science of risk analysis.
• cineastAn enthusiast of film and the cinema.
• cinéma d'auteurA cinematic style that emphasizes the director's personal vision, the making of film d'auteurs.; auteurism.
• cinéma du lookA French film movement of the 1980s and 1990s, characterized by its spectacular visual style (“le look”).
• cinéma véritéA style of cinema that appears to be realistic, showing ordinary people in ordinary situations speaking and acting naturally.
• cinetizationA distorted image created by removing portions of an original image and reassembling the remainder at disjointed angles.
• CircassienneA kind of light cashmere of silk and mohair.
• ciréHaving a shiny, glossy surface, often due to the application of wax or heat treatment.
• CiretA surname from French.
• cironThe itch mite (Sarcoptes scabiei), which infects the skin.
• CitroënA car of the Citroën brand.
• citronadelemonade
• citronellicOf or pertaining to citronellic acid.
• civilitéA typeface formerly used in parts of Western Europe which imitates cursive script.
• clafoutisA French dessert made by baking fresh fruit (traditionally cherries) with a batter.
• ClairaA female given name from Latin, a rare nonstandard spelling of Clara.
• clairaudientHaving, pertaining to, or involving clairaudience.
• clair de luneA pale bluish-gray colour.
• clairetA full-bodied and deep-coloured type of rosé wine from the Bordeaux region.
• clairgustanceThe paranormal ability to taste a substance without putting anything in one's mouth. It is claimed that those who possess this ability are able to perceive the essence of a substance from the spiritual or ethereal realms through taste.
• clairsentienceThe psychic ability for a person to acquire knowledge by means of feeling.
• clairvoyanteA female clairvoyant.
• claqueA group of people hired to attend a performance and to either applaud or boo.
• claqueurA member of the claque employed to applaud during a theatre performance.
• ClarissineSynonym of Poor Clare: a nun of the Order of Saint Clare, sometimes particularly one who follows or advocates the original precepts established by St Clare.
• classical collegeAn educational institution in Quebec providing postsecondary education leading to baccalauréat ès arts degrees, that existed from the 17th century until the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s.
• ClavetteA surname from French.
• clayeswattles or hurdles made with stakes interwoven with osiers, to cover lodgments
• clearcoleA primer (for paint) containing white lead.
• clechéHaving ends which flare out (like a cross patté) before tapering back to a point (urdé).
• CleenewerckA surname from French.
• cleft habitusA sense of dislocation experienced when one's life conditions change drastically, for example through social mobility.
• ClervauxThe northernmost canton of Luxembourg, in the former district of Diekirch.
• ClerveA river in Europe that flows for 48 km (30 mi) through Luxembourg; it empties into the Wiltz near Kautenbach.
• clichéSomething, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite saying; a platitude.
• climacterA climacteric (period in life, or critical point).
• clinquantGlittery; gleaming; sparkling; dressed in, or overlaid with, tinsel finery.
• cliquetAn exotic option consisting of a series of consecutive forward start options. The first is active immediately, the second becomes active when the first expires, and so on.
• cloak-and-daggerMarked by menacing furtive secrecy, often with a melodramatic tint or espionage involved.
• clochardA beggar or tramp, especially in France.
• cloisonA partition, dividing fillet or band.
• cloqueA fabric with an embossed design
• ClotildaA female given name from the Germanic languages; of mostly historical use in the Anglo-Saxon world.
• ClouatreA surname from French.
• clouéStudded with nails (of a specified tincture).
• cluseA defile or narrow gorge, especially one that cuts transversely through the rock of an otherwise continuous ridge.
• coat of mailA defensive garment made of metal scales or interlinked metal rings.
• CobeeA surname from French.
• Cochin ChinaSynonym of Cochin (“type of domestic hen”).
• cockalaneA satire or lampoon.
• cocketA document issued by the bond office stating that duty has been paid and goods may be sold.
• coco-de-merA tall palm tree, Lodoicea maldivica, found in the Seychelles.
• codicologyThe study of codices (early handwritten books).
• coeur à la crèmeA heart-shaped preparation of cream cheese served with strawberries.
• Coeur d'AleneA Native American ethnic group of northern Idaho.
• cogniacCounterfeit money.
• coiffeurA male hairdresser.
• coiffeuseA female hairdresser
• cold hands, warm heartHaving cold hands is an indication of warmheartedness; used as a rejoinder if one finds that another's hands are cold.
• -coleForms nouns (and occasionally adjectives) relating to organisms that inhabit a particular habitat.
• collapsologyThe transdisciplinary study of the collapse of industrial civilization, and what might succeed it.
• collaretteA small collar, especially as a kind of necklace of lace, fur etc. for women; a ruff
• collegianerA college student.
• collegienneA female college student.
• collogueTo coax (someone); also, to flatter (someone).
• colmatageThe deliberate introduction of silty water over low-lying land to build it up by deposition.
• colonnetteA small, thin column, especially one used to support an arcade.
• colportageThe distribution or selling of publications via carriers, particularly devotional literature.