—n. native or inhabitant of Byzan-tium.
Byzantine Empire, eastern part of the Roman Empire from a.d. 395 to 1453.
By· zan· ti· um (bi zanʹ shi әm; –ti әm), n.
ancient city where Istanbul now is.
Byzantium 89
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C, c (sē), n., pl. C’s; c’s.
1 the third letter of the alphabet. 2 the fi rst note of the musical scale of C major. 3 Roman numeral for 100.
C, 1 carbon. 2 central. 3 copyright. 4 a hundred-dollar bill.
C., 1 Cape. 2 Catholic. 3 centigrade.
c., 1 carton; cartons. 2 case. 3 cent; cents. 4 center. 5 centimeter. 6 Also, ca. approxi-mately. [L circa or circum] 7 cubic. 8 cup.
CA, (zip code) California.
Ca., calcium.
CAA, Civil Aeronautics Administration.
Caa· ba (käʹ bә), n. Kaaba.
cab (kab), n. 1 ⫽taxicab. 2 covered part of a locomotive where the engineer sits.
3 enclosed seat on a truck for the driver.
[for cabriolet]
ca· bal (kә balʹ), n., v., –balled, –bal· ling.
—n. 1 a small group of people working or plotting in secret. 2 a secret scheme of such a group. —v. form such a group;
conspire. [see cabala]
cab· a· la (kabʹ ә lә; kә bäʹ –), n. 1 a secret religious philosophy of the Jewish rab-bis. 2 a mystical belief. Also, cabbala.
[< Med.L < Heb. qabbalah tradition]
—cabʹ a· lism, n. —cabʹ a· list, n.
cab· a· lis· tic (kab´ ә lisʹ tik), cab· a· lis· ti· cal (–tә kәl), adj. having a mystical mean-ing; secret. —cab´ a· lisʹ ti· cal· ly, adv.
cab· al· le· ro (kab´ әl yãrʹ ō), n., pl. –ros. 1 SW U.S. horseman or gallant. 2 in Spain, gentleman or knight. [< Sp. < L caballar-ius horseman < caballus horse]
ca· ba· ña (kә bäʹ nyә; –banʹ ә), n. 1 bath-house. 2 cabin (def. 1). [< Sp. < LL capanna. Doublet of cabin.]
cab· a· ret (kab´ ә rāʹ ; kabʹ ә rā), n. 1 restau-rant where an entertainment of singing and dancing is provided. 2 the entertain-ment. [< F]
cab· bage (kabʹ ij), n., vegetable whose leaves are closely folded into a round head that grows from a short stem. [< F
< Pr., ult. < L caput head]
cab· ba· la (kabʹ ә lә; kә bäʹ -), n. ⫽cabala.
cab· by (kabʹ i), n., pl. –bies. cabdriver.
cab· in (kabʹ әn), n. 1 a small, roughly built house; hut. 2 room in a ship. 3 place for passengers in an aircraft . [< F < LL capanna. Doublet of cabana.]
cabin boy, boy whose work was waiting on the offi cers and passengers in a ship.
cab· i· net (kabʹ ә nit), n. 1 piece of furni-ture with shelves or drawers for holding dishes, etc. 2 group of advisers chosen by the head of a nation to help with the administration of the government. 3 the Cabinet, the cabinet of the President of the United States. 4 a small, private room.—adj. 1 of or having to do with a political cabinet. 2 private. [< F < Ital.
gabinetto, ult. < LL cavea cage]
cab· i· net· mak· er (kabʹ ә nit māk´ әr), n.
person who makes fi ne furniture and woodwork. —cabʹ i· net-mak´ ing, n.
cab· i· net· work (kabʹ ә nit wėrk´ ), n. 1 beautifully made furniture and wood-work. 2 the making of such furniture and woodwork.
ca· ble (kāʹ bәl), n., v., –bled, –bling. —n.
1 a strong, thick rope, usually made of wires twisted together. 2 ⫽cable’s length.
3 a protected bundle of wires to carry current. 4 ⫽cable television. 5 ⫽cable-gram. —v. 1 tie or fasten with a cable. 2 send a message by cable. [< F < Pr. < L capulum halter]
cable car, car pulled by a moving cable operated by a stationary engine.
ca· ble· cast (kāʹ bәl kast´ ), n., v. —n. a tele-cast by cable television. —v. teletele-cast by cable television. —caʹ ble· cast´ ing, n.
ca· ble· gram (kāʹ bәl gram), n. telegram sent by cable.
cable’s length, unit of measurement at sea, 720 ft .
cable stitch, knitting in a pattern that resembles a twisted cable.
ca· ble-stitch (kãʹ bәl stitch´), v., knit using cable stitch.
cable television, transmission of televi-sion programs by cable to individual subscribers.
cable TV, ⫽cable television.
cab· man (kabʹ mәn), n., pl. –men. a cab-driver.
ca· boo· dle (kә büʹ dәl), n. Informal. group of people or things.
ca· boose (kә büsʹ), n. 1 a small car for-merly on a freight train in which the trainmen could rest and sleep. 2 kitchen on the deck of a ship. [< MLG kabuse cabin]
Cab· ot (kabʹ әt), n. John, 1450?–98, Ital-ian navigator who explored for England, reaching the North American continent in 1497.
cab· ri· o· let (kab´ ri ә lāʹ), n. a one-horse carriage with two wheels, and oft en with a folding top. [< F, < cabrioler leap < Ital.
< L caper goat; from bouncing motion]
ca· ca· o (kә kāʹ ō; –käʹ ō), n., pl. –ca· os. 1 seeds from which cocoa and chocolate are made. 2 the tropical American tree they grow on. [< Sp. < Mex. caca-uatl]
cach· a· lot (kashʹ ә lot; –lō), n. sperm whale. [< F < Pg. < L caccabus pot]
cache (kash), n., v., cached, cach· ing.
—n. 1 a hiding place to store food or supplies. 2 a hidden store of food or supplies. —v. put in a cache; hide. [< F,
< cacher hide]
ca· chet (ka shāʹ ; kashʹ ā), n. 1 a private seal or stamp. 2 a distinguishing mark.
[< F, < cacher hide]
cach· in· nate (kakʹ ә nāt), v., –nat· ed, –nat· ing. laugh loudly. [< L cachinnatus]
—cach´ in· na´ tion, n.
ca· cique (kә sēkʹ), n. 1 a native chief in the West Indies, Mexico, etc. 2 pompous political leader. [< Sp. < Haitian]
cack· le (kakʹ әl), v., –led, –ling, n. —v. 1 make a shrill, broken sound. 2 laugh shrilly, harshly, and brokenly. 3 chatter.
—n. 1 the shrill, broken sound that a
hen makes aft er laying an egg. 2 shrill, harsh, broken laughter. 3 noisy chatter;
silly talk. [ME cakelen; imit.]
ca· coph· o· ny (kә kofʹ ә ni), n., pl. –nies.
harsh, clashing sound; dissonance; dis-cord. [< NL < Gk., < kakos bad + phone sound] —ca· cophʹ o· nous, adj. —ca-cophʹ o· nous· ly, adv.
cac· tus (kakʹ tәs), n., pl. –tus· es, –ti (–tī).
plant whose thick, fl eshy stems have spines but usually have no leaves. Most cactuses grow in very hot, dry regions.
[< L < Gk. kaktos]
cad (kad), n. an ill-bred person. [< cad-die]
ca· dav· er (kә davʹ әr; –dāʹ vәr), n. dead body; corpse. [< L] —ca· davʹ er· ic, adj.
ca· dav· er· ous (kә davʹ әr әs), adj. 1 of or like a cadaver. 2 pale and ghastly. 3 thin and worn. —ca· davʹ er· ous· ly, adv. davʹ er· ous· ness, n.
cad· die (kadʹ i), n., v., –died, –dy· ing. —n.
person who carries a golf player’s clubs, etc. —v. help a golf player in this way.
Also, caddy. [< F cadet cadet]
cad· dis fl y (kadʹ is), a mothlike insect whose larvae (caddis worms) live under water in cocoons that are coated with sand, gravel, etc.
cad· dish (kadʹ ish), adj. ungentlemanly;
ill-bred. —cadʹ dish· ly, adv. —cadʹ ness, n.
cad· dy1 (kadʹ i), n., pl. –dies. a small box, can, or chest. [< Malay kati a small weight]
cad· dy2 (kadʹ i), n., pl. –dies, v., –died, –dy· ing. ⫽caddie.
ca· dence (kāʹ dәns), ca· den· cy (–dәn si), n., pl., –den· ces; –cies. 1 rhythm. 2 mea-sure or beat or any rhythmical move-ment. 3 fall of the voice. 4 rising and falling sound; modulation. 5 series of chords, a trill, etc., that brings part of a piece of music to an end. [< F < Ital. See cadenza.] —caʹ denced, adj.
ca· den· za (kә denʹ zә), n. an elaborate fl ourish or showy musical passage near the end of an aria, concerto, etc. [< Ital.
< L cadentia < cadere fall]
ca· det (kә detʹ ), n. 1 a young person training to be an offi cer in the military.
2 a younger son or brother. [< F < Gas-con capdet < L capitellum, dim. of caput head] —ca· detʹ ship, ca· detʹ cy, n.
cadge (kaj), v., cadged, cadg· ing. Infor-mal. beg. —cadgʹ er, n.
ca· di (käʹ di; kāʹ –), n., pl. –dis. a minor Muslim judge. Also, kadi. [< Ar. qā .dī judge]
Cá· diz (kә dizʹ ; kāʹ diz), n. seaport in SW Spain.
cad· mi· um (kadʹ mi әm), n. a bluish-white, ductile metallic element, Cd, resembling tin, used in making certain alloys. [< NL < L cadmia zinc ore < Gk.
kadmeia] —cadʹ mic, adj.
ca· dre (käʹdәr; kadʹ r), n. 1 a small group of people who form the core of an orga-nization or a military unit. 2 ⫽frame-work. [< F < Ital. < L quadrum square]
C
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ca· du· ce· us (kә düʹ si әs; –dūʹ –), n., pl. –ce-i (–s–ce-i ī). staff carr–ce-ied by the god Hermes and by heralds in ancient Greece and Rome, now oft en used as an emblem of the medical profession. [< L < dial.
Gk. karykeion herald’s staff ] —ca· duʹ an, adj.
cae· cum (sēʹ kәm), n., pl. –ca (–kә). ⫽ cecum.
Cae· sar (sēʹ zәr), n. 1 Gaius Julius, 102?–44 b.c., Roman general, states-man, and historian, conqueror of Gaul.
2 a title of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Hadrian. 3 an emperor. 4 dictator; tyrant.
Cae· sar· e· an, Cae· sar· i· an (si zārʹ i әn), adj. of Julius Caesar or the Caesars.
—n. ⫽cesarean section. Also, Cesarean, Cesarian.
caesarean section, ⫽cesarean section.
cae· si· um (sēʹ zi әm), n. ⫽cesium.
cae· su· ra (si zh˙urʹ ә; –zy˙urʹ ә), n., pl. as, –sur· ae (–zh˙urʹ ē; –zy˙urʹ ē). a break, esp. a pause in a line of poetry. Also, cesura. [< L, cutting, < caedere cut]
—cae· surʹ al, adj.
ca· fe (ka fāʹ ; kә–), n., 1 restaurant. 2 bar-room. [< F. See coffee.]
ca· fé (ka fēʹ ; kә–, k˙a–), n. 1 ⫽cafe. 2 French. coff ee. 3 ⫽coff eehouse.
caf· e· te· ri· a (kaf´ ә tirʹ i ә), n. restau-rant where people wait on themselves.
[< Mex. Sp., coff ee shop]
caf· feine, caf· fein (kafʹ ēn; kafʹ i in), n. a stimulating drug, C8H10N4O2, found in coff ee and tea. [< F, < café coff ee]
caf· tan (kafʹ tәn; käf tänʹ), n. 1 a long tunic with a girdle, worn under the coat in Turkey, Egypt, etc. 2 woman’s loose, long gown, worn as evening dress or for lounging. Also, kaft an. [< Turk.]
cage (kāj), n., v., caged, cag· ing. —n. 1 frame or place closed in with wires, bars, etc., for confi ning birds, wild animals, etc. 2 thing shaped like a cage, as the closed platform of an elevator. 3 prison.
—v. put or keep in a cage. [< F < L cavea cell < cavus hollow]
cage· y (kājʹ i), adj. cag· i· er, cag· i· est.
Informal. shrewd; sharp. —cagʹ i· ly, adv.
—cagʹ i· ness, n.
ca· hoot (kә hütʹ), n. Informal. in cahoots, in company or league.
ca· ique or ca· ïque (kä ēkʹ ), 1 long, narrow Turkish rowboat. 2 small Mediterranean sailing vessel.
cai· man (kāʹ mәn), n., pl. –mans. large alligator of tropical America. Also, cay-man.
Cain (kān), n. 1 the oldest son of Adam and Eve, who killed his brother Abel. 2 murderer.
raise Cain, Informal. make a great dis-turbance.
cairn (kãrn), n. 1 pile of stones heaped up as a memorial, tomb, or landmark.
2 cairn terrier, small, wiry-haired ter-rier, originally from Scotland. [< Scotch Gaelic carn heap of stones] —cairned, adj.
Cai· ro (kīʹ rō), n. capital of Egypt, in the NE part.
cais· son (kāʹ sәn; –son), n. 1 wagon to carry ammunition. 2 a watertight box or chamber in which people can work under water. 3 a watertight fl oat used in raising sunken ships. [< F, < caisse chest
< L capsa box]
caisson disease, ⫽the bends.
ca· jole (kә jōlʹ ), v., –joled, –jol· ing. per-suade by pleasant words, fl attery, or false promises; coax. [< F cajoler] jolʹ er, n.
ca· jol· er· y (kә jōlʹ әr i), n., pl. –er· ies. per-suasion by smooth, deceitful words; fl at-tery; coaxing.
Ca· jun (kāʹ jәn), n. descendant of the French who come to Louisiana from Acadia. [<altered pronunciation of Aca-dian]
cake (kāk), n., v., caked, cak· ing. —n. 1 a baked mixture of fl our, sugar, eggs, fl avoring, and other things. 2 a fl at, thin mass of dough baked or fried. 3 any small, fl at mass of food fried on both sides: a fi sh cake. 4 a shaped mass: a cake of soap. —v. form into a solid mass.
piece of cake, Informal. something easy to do or obtain.
take the cake, Informal. a win fi rst prize.
b excel; surpass. [prob. < Scand. kaka]
cakes and ale, pleasures of life.
cake· walk (kākʹ wôk´ ), n. 1 a march or dance to music of black American ori-gin, to see who could do the most grace-ful or eccentric steps. 2 Fig. something sure and easy; cinch. —v. do a cakewalk.
—cakeʹ walk´ er, n.
cal or cal. 1 calendar. 2 caliber. 3 calorie or calories.
Cal., California.
cal· a· bash (kalʹ ә bash), n. 1 gourd or fruit whose dried shell is used to make bottles, bowls, drums, rattles, etc. 2 a tropical plant or tree that it grows on.
3 bottle, bowl, etc., made from such a dried shell. [< F < Sp., prob. < Pers.
kharbuz melon]
cal· a· boose (kalʹ ә büs; kal´ ә büsʹ), n. Esp.
S U.S. Informal. jail; prison. [< Sp. cal-abozo dungeon]
ca· la· di· um (kә lāʹ di әm), n. a tropi-cal plant with large leaves. [< Malay kelady]
Cal· ais (ka lāʹ ; kalʹ ā), n. seaport in N France that is nearest England.
cal· a· mine (kal´ ә mīn; –min), n. native hydrous zinc silicate, (ZnOH) 2SiO3. [< F < Med.L calamina < L cadmia. See cadmium.]
ca· lam· i· tous (kә lamʹ ә tәs), adj. caus-ing calamity; accompanied by calamity;
disastrous. —ca· lamʹ i· tous· ly, adv. lamʹ i· tous· ness, n.
ca· lam· i· ty (kәlamʹ ә ti), n., pl. –ties. 1 a great misfortune. 2 serious trouble; mis-ery. [< L calamitas]
cal· a· mus (kalʹ ә mәs), n., pl. –mi (–mī).
1 ⫽sweet fl ag. 2 its fragrant root. [< L
< Gk. kalamos reed]
cal· car· e· ous (kal kãrʹ i әs), adj. 1 of or containing lime or limestone. 2 of or containing calcium. [< L, < calx lime]
cal· ces (kalʹ sēz), n. pl. of calx.
cal· cif· er· ous (kal sifʹ әr әs), adj. 1 con-taining calcite. 2 forming calcium salts.
cal· ci· fy (kalʹ sә fī), v., –fi ed, –fy· ing. 1 harden by the deposit of lime. 2 Fig.
harden; become fi xed, as an idea or opinion. [< L calx lime] —cal´ ci· fi · caʹ-tion, n.
cal· ci· mine (kalʹ sә mīn; –min), n., v., –mined, –min· ing. —n. a white or col-ored liquid consisting of a mixture of water, coloring matter, glue, etc., used as a wash on ceilings and walls. —v. cover with calcimine. Also, kalsomine.
cal· cine (kalʹ sīn; –sin), v., –cined, –cin-ing. 1 burn to ashes or powder. 2 change to lime by heating. —cal´ ci· naʹtion, n.
—cal· cinʹ a· to´ ry adj., n.
cal· cite (kalʹ sīt), n. mineral composed of calcium carbonate, CaCO3. It occurs as limestone, chalk, marble, etc.
cal· ci· um (kalʹ si әm), n. a soft , silvery-white metallic element, Ca. It is a part of lime-stone, milk, bones, etc. [< L calx lime]
calcium carbide, a heavy gray substance, CaC2, that reacts with water to form acetylene gas.
calcium carbonate, mineral, CaCO3, occurring in rocks as marble and lime-stone and in animals as bones, shells, teeth, etc.
calcium chloride, compound of calcium and chlorine, CaCl2, used in making artifi cial ice and chlorine.
cal· cu· la· ble (kalʹ kyә lә bәl), adj. 1 that can be calculated. 2 reliable. —cal´ cu· bilʹ i· ty, n. —calʹ cu· la· bly, adv.
cal· cu· late (kalʹ kyә lāt), v., –lat· ed, –lat-ing. 1 fi nd out by adding, subtract-ing, multiplysubtract-ing, or dividing; fi gure;
compute. 2 fi nd out beforehand by any process of reasoning; estimate. 3 rely;
depend; count. 4 plan; intend. [< L,
< calculus stone, used in counting, dim.
of calx stone] —calʹ cu· la´ tor, n.
calculated risk, venture or undertaking whose outcome can be estimated with some degree of confi dence but not with certainty.
cal· cu· lat· ing (kalʹ kyә lāt´ ing), adj. 1 that calculates. 2 shrewd; careful. 3 schem-ing; selfi sh.
cal· cu· la· tion (kal´ kyә lāʹ shәn), n. 1 act of calculating. 2 result found by calculat-ing. 3 careful thinking; deliberate plan-ning. —calʹ cu· la´ tive, adj.
cal· cu· lus (kalʹ kyә lәs), n., pl. –li (–lī), –lus· es. 1 a method of calculation in higher mathematics. 2 Fig. analysis of various factors to predict the probable outcome of a particular undertaking or situation. 3 a stone that has formed in the body because of a diseased condi-tion. Gallstones are calculi. [see cal-culate]
Cal· cut· ta (kal kutʹ ә), n. seaport in E India.
Calcutta 91
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cal· de· ra (kal dirʹ ә), n. dish-shaped depression at the top of a volcano’s cone.
cal· dron (kôlʹ drәn), n. a large kettle or boiler. Also, cauldron. [< OF < L caldus hot]
Cal· e· do· ni· a (kal´ ә dōʹ ni ә), n. Poetic.
Scotland. —Cal´ e· doʹ ni· an, adj.
cal· en· dar (kalʹ әn dәr), n. 1 table showing the months, weeks, and days of the year.
2 system by which the beginning, length, and divisions of the year are fi xed. 3 list; record; schedule: a court calendar.
—v. enter in a calendar or list. [< AF
< L calendarium account book < calen-dae calends (day bills were due)]
calendar day, the 24 hours from one mid-night to the next midmid-night.
calendar month, month.
calendar year, period of 365 days (or in leap year, 366 days) that begins on Janu-ary 1 and ends on December 31.
cal· en· der (kalʹ әn dәr), n. machine in which cloth, paper, etc., is smoothed and glazed by pressing between rollers. —v.
make smooth and glossy by pressing in a calendar. [< F < L < Gk. kylindros cyl-inder] —calʹ en· der· er, n.
cal· ends (kalʹ әndz), n.pl. the fi rst day of the month in the ancient Roman calen-dar. Also, kalends. [< L calendae]
ca· len· du· la (kә lenʹ jә lә), n. kind of marigold with yellow or orange fl owers.
[< NL, dim. of calendae the calends]
calf1 (kaf; käf), n., pl. calves. 1 a young cow or bull. 2 a young elephant, whale, seal, etc. 3 leather made from the skin of a calf. [OE calf]
calf2 (kaf; käf), n., pl. calves. the thick, fl eshy part of the back of the leg below the knee. [< Scand. kālfi ]
calf· skin (kafʹ skin´ ; käfʹ –), n. 1 skin of a calf. 2 leather made from it.
cal· i· ber (kalʹ ә bәr), n. 1 diameter, esp.
inside diameter. A .45-caliber revolver has a barrel with an inside diameter of
45⁄100 of an inch. 2 Fig. amount of ability.