Word origins

• CosnardA surname from French.
• Cosne-Cours-sur-LoireA town in Nièvre department, France.
• costumierA person who supplies or designs costumes.
• costumiereA female costumier.
• CotardA surname from French.
• cotarnineA white crystalline substance, allegedly with the
• Coteau-du-LacA town in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Quebec, Canada
• Cote d'AzurThe warning track at the bottom of a velodrome, a non-racing surface representing the base of the banked oval course.
• Côte d'AzurThe French Riviera: the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
• Côte d'IvoireA country in West Africa.
• Côte d'OrA département (equivalent of a county) in France’s eastern region Bourgogne (Burgundy)
• Côte-NordA region of Quebec, Canada.
• Côtes-du-NordFormer name of Côtes-d'Armor before 1990.
• CotillardA surname from French.
• CotnoirA surname from French.
• couaA terrestrial bird of the genus Coua, in the cuckoo family.
• couchéInclined at an angle.
• coucheeA reception held at bedtime, such as by a royal.
• couchetteA couch.
• coudéBent at the tip at a 45° angle, like an elbow.
• coudeea cubit (distance from the elbow to the end of the middle finger)
• coudiereA couter (elbow armor).
• couléAn attacking or feinting movement where the blade slides continuously along the opponent’s blade.
• couleur de roseFavourable; ideal.
• coulisseA piece of timber having a groove in which something glides.
• coulureA disease affecting grapes, manifested by the premature dropping of the fruit.
• coumarouThe tree Dipteryx odorata, which bears the tonka bean.
• count coupTo win prestige in battle by performing an act of bravery in the face of the enemy (such as touching him and escaping unharmed), a ritual of the Plains Indians of North America.
• countercomponyConsisting of a checkerboard of two rows of squares in alternating tinctures. (Contrast chequy.)
• counterfeisanceDeception, dissimulation.
• counterfloryDecorated with fleurs-de-lis or other floral motifs arranged in pairs opposite each other, especially on opposite sides of a border on a shield or banner.
• countermureA wall raised behind another, to supply its place when that is breached or destroyed.
• counter-palyPaly, and then divided fesswise, so that each vertical piece is cut into two, having the colours used alternately or counterchanged.
• counterposeTo act as a counterweight.
• counterpositionAn opposite or opposing position; opposition.
• country breadPain de campagne.
• coupageThe blending (or cutting) of wine.
• coup d'arretA counter-attack that attempts to take advantage of an uncertain attack
• coup de forceA sudden, violent act.
• coup de foudreA sudden unexpected event, especially an emotional one; love at first sight.
• coup de grâceA final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal.
• coup de mainA sudden development or action carried out to surprise an enemy.
• coup de maitreA masterstroke.
• coup de savatea kick with the flat of the foot
• coup d'étatThe sudden overthrow of a government, differing from a revolution by being carried out by a small group of people who replace only the leading figures.
• coup de théâtreA sudden or unexpected event in a play, pulled off by the author, the director, or even an actor.
• coup d'oeilA glimpse, a glance; the ability, especially of a military officer, to understand much at a glance.
• coupéA two-seater car, normally a sports car. (variant of coupe)
• coupe-gorgeAny position giving the enemy such advantage that the troops occupying it must either surrender or be cut to pieces.
• coupetteA small coupe (stemmed glass dish) for serving appetizers or desserts.
• coup Turca complex move involving several pieces in Russian, international, and Brazilian draughts, in which the opponent's pieces, which have already been captured but not yet removed from the board, limit the movement of the king. See the quotation for details.
• courbarilHymenaea courbaril, a South American tree.
• courbetteA movement in dressage in which the horse makes a series of jumps on the hind legs with the forelegs in the air.
• CourchaineA surname from French.
• cour d'honneurA three-sided ceremonial courtyard, created by flanking the main central block, or corps de logis, with symmetrical advancing secondary wings containing minor rooms.
• coureur de boisA fur trader operating in North America in the seventeenth or eighteenth century without permission from the French authorities.
• courlanLimpkin.
• CournutA surname from French [in turn from Occitan].
• course landaiseA traditional form of bullfighting from Gascony and the Basque Country.
• Courseulles-sur-MerA coastal commune in Calvados department, Normandy, France, renamed from Courseulles in 1957.
• courtisanerieThe practice or profession of being a courtesan.
• court martialA court where cases of military law are heard.
• court-nouéA viral disease of grapevines.
• Court of AidsA sovereign court in Ancien Régime France, dealing with customs and other matters of public finance.
• court of cassationIn several legal systems, the highest-level court of appeal in procedural matters, which is empowered to quash a verdict but then refers the case back for a new trial at the previous level.
• CouseransA historical region of Ariège department, Occitania, France.
• couteau de chassehunting knife
• coutilA woven cloth created specifically for making corsets.
• couturièreA woman who runs a business in custom-made fashion.
• couvadeA practice among some peoples, such as the Basques, of the husband of a woman in the last stages of pregnancy taking to bed, avoiding certain foods, or imitating other behaviours of a pregnant woman.
• couveuseAn incubator for sickly infants, especially those born prematurely.
• cracovienneA dance, the krakowiak.
• cramoisiecrimson
• CrampagnaA village in Ariège department, Occitania, France.
• cramponeeHaving a cramp or square piece at the end; said of a cross.
• crampoonA clutch formed of hooked pieces of iron, like double calipers, for raising stones, lumber, blocks of ice, etc.
• crancelinA chaplet of rue, as used as a charge on the arms of Saxony.
• crapaudineA method of preparing fowl and poultry, where the back is split apart and the bird is flattened down the breast, looking somewhat like a toad; spatchcock.
• craquelinA kind of Belgian brioche filled with flavoured nib sugar.
• craquelureThe distinctive pattern of hairline cracks in the surface of an old painting.
• cravacheA riding crop.
• crayeA type of vessel, which was notably used in Denmark and Sweden
• crècheA representation of the nativity scene.
• CreecyA surname from French.
• crémaillèreAn indented or zigzagging line of entrenchment used in fortification.
• crémantA type of French sparkling wine.
• crèmeSynonym of cream.
• crème anglaiseA liquid, sweet custard used as a topping for a dessert, as a dessert by itself, or as a base for ice cream or crème brûlée.
• crème brûléeA dessert of custard, covered by a brittle layer of browned sugar.
• crème caramelA baked custard with a soft caramel top.
• crème chantillySynonym of Chantilly cream.
• crème de cacaoLiqueur whose flavor is that of cocoa, and, often, slightly that of vanilla.
• crème de cassisA blood red, sweet, blackcurrant-flavored liqueur, which is an ingredient of kir, an apéritif.
• crème de la crèmeBest of the best; something superlative; the very best.
• crème de mentheA peppermint-flavoured liqueur.
• crème fraîcheA slightly soured thick cream (generally less sour than sour cream).
• crème pâtissièreConfectioner's cream, pastry cream.
• créneléEmbattled.
• crenellationA pattern along the top of a parapet (fortified wall), most often in the form of multiple, regular, rectangular spaces in the top of the wall, through which arrows or other weaponry may be shot, especially as used in medieval European architecture.
• crêpe de chineA fine, thin fabric, usually of silk, that is used to make dresses or blouses.