Word origins

• chamerophyteAny herbaceous or woody plant whose buds overwinter just above soil level
• chao-Chaos.
• chaotropismThe ability to disrupt hydrogen bonding, especially within or between biological molecules
• charagmaA mark or marking.
• charientismA figure of speech wherein an insult is disguised as or softened by a jest.
• chartophylaxAn ecclesiastical officer in charge of official documents and records in the Greek Orthodox Church in Byzantine times.
• cheilo-lip
• chelandiona Byzantine bireme used primarily for cargo transport
• cheletropicDescribing a pericyclic addition reaction across the terminal atoms of a fully conjugated system in which two new single bonds are formed with a single atom of the reactant.
• chelidonSynonym of elbow pit.
• chelidoniusA stone supposed to be taken from the stomach of a swallow, with purported magical or medicinal properties.
• cheloneAny member of the genus Chelone of four species of perennial herbaceous plants that are native to eastern North America.
• chelonochoryseed dispersal by turtles or tortoises
• chemoautotropha simple microorganism, such as a prokaryote (bacteria and Archaea), that derives its energy from chemical processes rather than photosynthesis
• chemosisSwelling and/or (especially) edema of the conjunctiva of the eye.
• chenodeoxycholic acidA bile acid that is synthesized in the liver from cholesterol.
• chenopodAny member of the subfamily Chenopodioideae (the main part of the sometime family Chenopodiaceae); a goosefoot.
• cheremeA basic unit of a sign language; equivalent to a phoneme.
• cherologyThe equivalent of phonology for sign languages.
• -cheziadefecation
• chiastoliteAn aluminosilicate mineral having carbon inclusions, a variety of andalusite.
• childlovePaedophilic, hebephilic, or ephebophilic attraction to children of either sex; paedophilia or hebephilia.
• childloverA pedophile, hebephile, or ephebophile.
• chiliagonA polygon with a thousand vertices and a thousand edges.
• chiliarchA commander of a thousand troops in Hellenistic Greece.
• chiliasmBelief in an earthly thousand-year period of peace and prosperity, sometimes equated with the return of Jesus for that period.
• chiliocosmA collection of many worlds.
• chilopodAny myriapod of the class Chilopoda, a centipede.
• chioliteA tetragonal-ditetragonal dipyramidal mineral containing aluminum, fluorine, and sodium.
• ChioneA daughter of Boreas, the North Wind, and Oreithyia, sister to Zetes, Calais and Cleopatra.
• chionophileAny animal or plant that thrives in winter conditions, especially one that thrives in snow.
• chionophobeAny plant that does not thrive in snowy conditions.
• chirapsiamassage as a form of therapy
• chiroplastA sliding wooden frame clamped above the keys of the piano, into which the hands and fingers of a pianist are placed. It was used for learners of the piano in the early 19th century.
• chiropracticsThe practice of a chiropractor; chiropractic.
• chiropterologistSomeone who studies bats (the flying mammals).
• chiropterologyThe scientific study of bats.
• chirotonyThe laying on of hands as an ecclesiastical rite
• chirurgicOf or pertaining to chirurgery; surgical.
• chitoniskosA short tunic or chiton.
• chlamydeousThat has a perianth
• chlamydo-denoting an outer covering (cortex) such as a rigid cell wall
• chlamyphoreA small South American armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus and Chlamyphorus retusus, now Calyptophractus retusus), covered with a leathery shell.
• chlamysA short poncho-like cloak caught up on the shoulder, worn by hunters, soldiers, and horsemen in Ancient Greece.
• chleuasmosA sarcastic reply that mocks an opponent, leaving them without an answer.
• chloasmamelasma; a cutaneous condition with yellow or yellowish-brown pigmented spot
• chlorastroliteA green or bluish variety of pumpellyite.
• chloremiaThe presence of chloride in the bloodstream (which is always true, in some amount or other).
• chlorenchymaA mechanical, supportive ground tissue in plants containing chloroplasts.
• chloro-green in color.
• chloroxiphiteAn olive-green monoclinic-prismatic mineral containing chlorine, copper, hydrogen, lead, and oxygen.
• choachytean Ancient Egyptian mortuary priest responsible for pouring libations as well as providing mortuary rituals and offerings at the tombs of the dead
• choaniteA spongiform fossil of the historical genus Choanites, thought to resemble a petrified sea-anemone.
• choano-Funnel.
• choanoidfunnel-shaped;
• ChoiakThe fourth month of the later ancient Egyptian civil calendar and Coptic calendar, corresponding to the fourth and last month of the season of Akhet. Since 25 BCE, when the calendar was reformed to include leap-days, Choiak has been in roughly December.
• choicalSynonym of physical, material, or base.
• cholangio-bile duct
• chole-Bile.
• cholecystThe gall bladder.
• cholecystisThe gall bladder.
• choleresisThe secretion of bile (by the liver rather than the gallbladder)
• cholic acida steroidal bile acid, C₂₄H₄₀O₅, derived from cholesterol
• cholochromebilirubin
• chomophyteAny plant that grows in rock fissures or crevices.
• chondreSynonym of chondrule.
• chondrigenA substance formerly thought to be the main chemical component of cartilage, converted by long boiling in water into a gelatinous substance called chondrin.
• chondrio-Granule, mitochondrion component.
• chondro-Describing something relating to grains or having a granular structure.
• chondrosinA disaccharide, composed of glucuronic acid and galactosamine, present in the chondroitins
• chondrusSynonym of chondrule.
• -choreAn organism, especially a plant or plant pathogen, that spreads by a specified agent, or in a specified manner.
• choregicOf or relating to a choregus.
• choregusThe leader of a chorus in Ancient Greece
• choreo-dance
• choreologyThe study of the aesthetic and science of forms of dance and other human movement, by means of notation.
• chorio-chorion; chorionic.
• choripetalousHaving separate, unconnected petals; polypetalous.
• chorisepalousHaving separate, unconnected sepals; polysepalous.
• chorisisThe separation of a leaf (or petal or sepal) into two more parts
• chorismicRelating to chorismic acid or its derivatives
• chorizontOne who challenges a widely held assumption of authorship for a major work, especially one who believes that the Iliad and the Odyssey were not written by Homer.
• choro-place
• choroideremiaAn X-linked recessive retinal degenerative disease.
• -choronUsed to form the names of 4-dimensional solids bounded by a certain number of cells/polyhedra (polychora).
• choropleth mapA thematic map in which the distribution of some property is shown using different colours.
• chousA squat, rounded form of oenochoe with a trefoil mouth.
• chrematisticRelated to wealth as far as it can be calculated in terms of money.
• chrematisticsThe study of wealth.
• chrematonymA name for an economic good, product name.
• chrematophobiaThe fear of money, spending money, or having too much or not enough money.
• chreotechnicsThe science of the "useful arts", especially agriculture, manufacture, and commerce.
• chresardThe portion of the water in a sample of soil that is available to vegetation (e.g. plant roots)
• chresmographionA chamber between the pronaos and the cella in a Greek temple, where oracles were delivered.
• chresmologythe study of prophecy
• chrestomathA person devoted to useful learning; especially a language learner.
• -chroicProducing or changing color in a certain way.
• chromameterAn instrument that is used to evaluate the colour of surfaces
• chromato-color
• chromo-color