📖 C — The English dictionary

ca — Everyday, meaning 1: ca. or c. (from Latin «circa») means «about» or «around», used with dates and numbers: ca.↗ 1500.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Ca (science) the chemical symbol for calcium.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: CA (USA) short for California; also for Canada in internet addresses (.ca).↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (French) «ça» means «that» or «it», as in «Ça va?»↗ (How are you?); English speakers hear it as «sa».↗ Not an English word.↗ Example: The vase was made ca.↗ 300 BC.↗ · Ca is the symbol for calcium on the periodic table.↗ · Her address was Los Angeles, CA.↗ · Canadian websites end with .ca.↗ · "Ça va?" "↗ Ça va bien, merci!"↗ · The castle was built ca.↗ 1200.↗

cab — Everyday, meaning 1: A cab is a taxi, a car with a driver you pay to take you somewhere.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A cab is the part of a lorry, truck, train or crane where the driver sits.↗ Example: We took a cab to the station.↗ · The cab costs 3 dollars plus 2 dollars per mile; how much is a 5-mile trip?↗ · Mum hailed a black cab in London.↗ · The truck driver climbed into the cab.↗ · The cab driver helped us with our bags.↗ · Never get into a cab with a stranger who isn't a real taxi driver.↗ · A crowd had followed the cab out of the town; now they reached the scene of the "State Function"--and they all cried out: "Fair play--play fair!↗

cabala — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A Jewish tradition of mystical teaching about God, the world, and the hidden meaning of the Torah.↗ Example: D., remarked very truly in his German preface to the book "Yezirah," published in Leipzig, 1830: "This book is for two reasons highly important: in the first place, that the real Cabala, or mystical (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

cabbage — Everyday, meaning 1: A cabbage is a round vegetable made of tightly packed green, white or purple leaves.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Cabbage is the leaves of this plant eaten as food.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (rude, UK slang) Calling someone a cabbage means they seem dull or unable to think or move.↗ Example: We grew cabbages in the school garden.↗ · Red cabbage juice turns pink in vinegar.↗ · Coleslaw is made with cabbage and carrot.↗ · Caterpillars made holes in the cabbage leaves.↗ · Nan cooked cabbage with the roast.↗ · A cabbage weighs about a kilogram.↗ · (rude) «Stop sitting there like a cabbage!»↗ · See these lovely cabbages and these fresh herbs!↗

cabin — Everyday, meaning 1: A small wooden house, usually in the country, woods or mountains: a log cabin.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A small room for sleeping on a ship.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The part of an aircraft where passengers sit, or where the pilots sit (the cockpit).↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (cabin crew) The flight attendants on a plane.↗ Example: We stayed in a log cabin by the lake.↗ · The ship's cabin had two bunk beds.↗ · Cabin crew showed us how to use the life jacket.↗ · Your cabin bag must fit under the seat.↗ · After a week of rain, we all had cabin fever.↗ · The cabin was heated by a wood stove.↗ · “Fetch the cat, Jukes,” said Hook; “it’s in the cabin.”↗

cabinet — Everyday, meaning 1: A cabinet is a cupboard with shelves or drawers and usually doors, used to store or show things: a kitchen cabinet, a bathroom cabinet.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The Cabinet is the group of the most important ministers who help lead a government and make big decisions.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A display cabinet is a glass cupboard for showing precious things.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A cabinet can also be a small private room, often one filled with mirrors or treasures.↗ Example: The plates are in the kitchen cabinet.↗ · Keep medicines in a locked cabinet.↗ · Dad keeps papers in a metal filing cabinet.↗ · The trophy is in the glass cabinet at school.↗ · The Prime Minister met the Cabinet today.↗ · The bathroom cabinet has a mirror on its door.↗ · Close the cabinet doors so you don't bump your head.↗ · A Cabinet minister is in charge of schools.↗ · The tiny door swung back, and a soft crimson light gleamed over the whole cabinet.↗ · Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked; and they said: 'Surely he is covering his feet in the cabinet of the cool chamber.'↗ (Prophets JDG.3.24, JPS 1917)↗

cable — Everyday, meaning 1: A cable is a thick, strong wire or rope.↗ Cables hold up bridges and pull lifts.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A cable is also a set of wires inside a cover that carries electricity, telephone calls, TV or internet.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Cable TV is television that comes through cables.↗ Example: A cable is 12 m long.↗ · He cuts the cable into 4 equal pieces.↗ · Each cable costs $6.↗ · The bridge is held by 40 cables.↗ · My phone needs a charging cable.↗ · We rode a cable car up the mountain.↗ · Never pull a plug out by its cable.↗ · The internet cable runs under the sea between countries.↗ · The cable was about as thick as packthread, and the bars of the length and size of a knitting-needle.↗

cacao — Everyday, meaning 1: Cacao is a tropical tree whose seeds, called cacao beans or cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate and cocoa.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Cacao also means those beans or the raw powder made from them before much processing.↗ Example: Chocolate is made from cacao beans.↗ · The cacao tree grows pods on its trunk.↗ · Ghana and Ivory Coast grow lots of cacao.↗ · The Aztecs drank bitter cacao with chilli.↗ · Cacao beans are dried in the sun.↗ · This bar has seventy per cent cacao.↗ · Each cacao pod holds about forty beans.↗

cache — Everyday, meaning 1: A cache is a hidden store of things, such as food, weapons or treasure.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (computers) A cache is a place in a computer or phone where data is kept for a while so it can be found quickly next time.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To cache something is to store it in a cache, hidden or for quick use.↗ Example: The squirrel buried a cache of acorns.↗ · Police found a cache of stolen phones.↗ · Clear your browser's cache if the page won't load.↗ · The phone caches photos so they load faster.↗ · We found a geocache hidden under a log.↗ · The explorers left a cache of food for the way back.↗

cackle — Everyday, meaning 1: The loud, harsh sound a hen or goose makes.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To laugh in a loud, harsh, high way, often unpleasantly.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun) Such a laugh.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (UK, informal) Silly talk: «cut the cackle» means stop chatting and get to the point.↗ Example: The witch gave a wicked cackle.↗ · The hens cackled in the farmyard.↗ · The villain cackled with delight.↗ · My aunt has a loud cackle of a laugh.↗ · Cut the cackle and get on with your work!↗ · The goose cackled at us as we walked past.↗ · Many an anxious minute his brothers and sisters had looking for him, while his mother ran to and fro cackling in fear and dismay.↗

cactus — Everyday, meaning 1: A cactus is a plant that grows in hot, dry places such as deserts, with a thick stem that stores water and usually sharp spines instead of leaves.↗ Example: A cactus can live in the desert for a long time without rain.↗ · Don't touch the cactus; it's prickly!↗ · My grandma has a cactus on her windowsill.↗ · Some cacti have beautiful flowers.↗ · The cactus stores water in its thick stem.↗ · Camels can eat some cactus plants.↗ · The tall saguaro cactus grows in Arizona.↗

caddy — Everyday, meaning 1: A caddy (also caddie) is a person who carries a golfer's clubs and gives them advice during a game.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A tea caddy is a small box or tin for keeping tea leaves.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A caddy is a small container or holder that keeps things tidy, such as a pencil caddy or a cleaning caddy.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To caddy (caddie) is to work as a golfer's caddy.↗ Example: The caddy carried the golfer's heavy bag.↗ · Grandma keeps tea in a pretty tin caddy.↗ · Put the pencils back in the caddy on your table.↗ · My uncle caddied at the golf club in summer.↗ · We put vegetable peelings in the food caddy.↗ · The shower caddy holds shampoo and soap.↗ · Each group has a caddy of glue sticks and scissors.↗ · The caddy told her which club to use.↗

cadet — Everyday, meaning 1: A cadet is a young person training to be an officer in the army, navy, air force or police.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A cadet is a child or teenager in a youth club linked to the armed forces, such as Air Cadets or Sea Cadets, which teaches skills, drill and teamwork.↗ Example: My brother joined the Air Cadets when he was twelve.↗ · The cadets marched in the parade.↗ · She is a police cadet and wants to be a detective.↗ · Sea Cadets learn to sail and tie knots.↗ · The young cadet saluted the officer.↗ · Cadets wear a uniform and polish their boots.↗ · The cadet camp taught first aid and map reading.↗ · The blue violets represent little naval cadets, and dance with hyacinths and crocuses which they call young ladies.↗

caduceus — Everyday, meaning 1: A staff with two snakes twined around it and wings at the top, carried by the messenger of the gods in old Greek stories.↗ Example: The messenger of the gods carried a caduceus.↗ · Its two snakes curled round the staff.↗ · Heralds carried it to show they came in peace.↗

caesium — Everyday, meaning 1: Caesium is a soft, silvery-gold metal, a chemical element (symbol Cs) that reacts violently with water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Caesium is used in atomic clocks, the most accurate clocks there are.↗ Example: Caesium explodes if you drop it into water.↗ · Atomic clocks use caesium to keep perfect time.↗ · Caesium's symbol is Cs.↗ · Caesium melts on a very hot day.↗ · Radioactive caesium spread after the nuclear accident.↗

cafe — Everyday, meaning 1: A cafe is a small restaurant where people buy drinks like tea, coffee and juice and simple meals like sandwiches and cakes.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An internet cafe is a place where people pay to use computers.↗ Example: A cup of tea at the cafe costs 2 dollars.↗ · The cafe sold 60 cakes today.↗ · There are 12 tables in the cafe with 4 chairs each.↗ · How much did they spend at the cafe?↗ · We had hot chocolate at the cafe after swimming.↗ · The cafe on the corner opens early.↗ · Mum bought me a muffin at the cafe.↗ · The beach cafe sells ice cream in summer.↗ · Here a sea of light streamed forth from the gas-flames of the lamps, the shops and the cafes.↗

caff — Everyday, meaning 1: (UK, informal) A small, simple, cheap café, often serving fried breakfasts, tea and sandwiches.↗ It is a short form of "café".↗ Example: We had egg and chips at the local caff.↗ · The builders always stop at the caff for a cuppa.↗ · Meet you at the caff on the corner.↗ · The caff opens at six for breakfast.↗ · The old caff by the station has steamed-up windows.↗

caffeine — Everyday, meaning 1: Caffeine is a natural chemical in coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks and chocolate that makes people feel more awake and alert.↗ Example: Coffee has caffeine in it.↗ · Caffeine can stop you sleeping.↗ · Energy drinks are not for children because of the caffeine.↗ · Mum drinks caffeine-free tea at night.↗ · Cola contains some caffeine.↗ · Dark chocolate has a little caffeine.↗ · Too much caffeine can make your heart race.↗ · Check the label to see how much caffeine is in it.↗

caftan — Everyday, meaning 1: A long, loose robe with wide sleeves, worn in parts of the Middle East and North Africa.↗ Example: The king sent a red caftan to the boy.↗ · Her caftan swept the floor as she walked.↗ · He wore a long blue caftan.↗

cage — Everyday, meaning 1: A cage is a box or room made of bars or wire that keeps animals or birds inside.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To cage an animal is to put it or keep it in a cage.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The rib cage is the set of bones round your chest that protects your heart and lungs.↗ Example: There are 4 birds in each cage.↗ · The pet shop has 9 cages.↗ · 20 rabbits are put in 5 cages.↗ · How many cages are needed for 30 mice?↗ · Clean the hamster's cage every week.↗ · The parrot flew out of its open cage.↗ · Your rib cage protects your heart and lungs.↗ · Zoos now use big open spaces instead of small cages.↗ · And beside the beautiful cage was the cage of gold.↗ · As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore they are become great, and waxen rich; (Prophets JER.5.27, JPS 1917)↗ · And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; that they might bring him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.↗ (Prophets EZK.19.9, JPS 1917)↗

caiman — Everyday, meaning 1: A caiman is a reptile of the alligator family that lives in the rivers, lakes and swamps of Central and South America.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Caimans have long jaws, tough scaly skin and are usually smaller than alligators and crocodiles, although the black caiman can grow very large.↗ Example: A caiman floated in the river with only its eyes showing.↗ · Caimans live in South America.↗ · The jaguar caught a caiman on the riverbank.↗ · The spectacled caiman has a ridge between its eyes like glasses.↗ · A caiman is a relative of the alligator.↗ · Caimans lay their eggs in nests of leaves.↗ · The black caiman is the biggest caiman.↗

cairn — Everyday, meaning 1: A heap of stones piled up, often to mark a grave or a path on a hill.↗ Example: They built a cairn over the grave.↗ · We followed the cairns across the moor.↗ · The old stones were piled into a cairn.↗