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Rarely Used Words Starting With C
1
 
Cabal •
noun
a secret political clique or faction. — ORIGIN Latin
cabala
‘Kabbalah’ (its original sense in English).Caber •
noun
a roughly trimmed tree trunk used in the Scottish Highland sport of tossing the caber. — ORIGIN Scottish Gaelic
cabar 
‘pole’.Caboodle •
noun
(in phrase
the whole caboodle
or 
the whole kit and caboodle
) informal the wholenumber or quantity of people or things in question. — ORIGIN originally US: perhaps from the phrase
kit and boodle
, in the same sense.
 
Cabotage •
noun 1
navigation or trade along the coast. 2
 Aviation
. the legal restriction to domestic carriersof air transport between points within a country's borders.— ORIGIN1825–35; < F, deriv. of 
caboter 
to sail coastwise, v. deriv. of MF
cabo
< Sp
cabo
headland,
CAPE
 Cadastre •
noun
an official register of the ownership, extent, and value of real property in a given area, usedas a basis of taxation.
 —
ORIGIN 1795–1805; < F < Pr 
cadastro
< It
catastro,
earlier (Venetian)
catastico
< LGk 
katástichon
register, deriv. of phrase
katà stíchon
by lineCadge •
verb
informal ask for or obtain (something to which one is not entitled). — DERIVATIVES
cadger
noun. — ORIGIN from
cadger 
, a northern English and Scottish word meaning itinerant dealer.Cadre •
noun
 
1
a small group of people trained for a particular purpose or profession.
2
/also
kay
dr/ agroup of activists in a revolutionary organization. — ORIGIN French, from Latin
quadrus
‘square’.Caesium •
noun
a soft, silvery, extremely reactive metallic chemical element. — ORIGIN from Latin
caesius
‘greyish-blue’ (because it has characteristic lines in the blue part of thespectrum).Cahoots •
plural noun
(in phrase
in cahoots
) informal colluding or conspiring together secretly. — ORIGIN of unknown origin.Calamine •
noun
a pink powder consisting of zinc carbonate and ferric oxide, used to make a soothinglotion or ointment. — ORIGIN Latin
calamina
, from Greek 
kadmeia ge
‘Cadmean earth’, from the name of 
Cadmus
, thelegendary founder of Thebes.
1
By H.U.
 
Calcareous •
adjective
containing calcium carbonate; chalky. — ORIGIN Latin
calcarius
, from
calx
‘lime’.Calliper •
noun
 
1
(also
calipers
) a measuring instrument with two hinged legs and in-turned or out-turned points.
2
a motor-vehicle or bicycle brake consisting of two or more hinged components.
3
a metal supportfor a person’s leg. — ORIGIN probably an alteration of CALIBRE.Callisthenics •
plural noun
gymnastic exercises to achieve bodily fitness and grace of movement. — ORIGIN from Greek 
kallos
‘beauty’ +
 sthenos
‘strength’.Callow •
adjective
(of a young person) inexperienced and immature. — DERIVATIVES
callowly
adverb
callowness
noun. — ORIGIN Old English, bald, probably from Latin
calvus
‘bald’, later unfledged.Callus •
noun
 
1
a thickened and hardened part of the skin or soft tissue.
2
Botany a hard formation of tissueformed over a wound. — DERIVATIVES
callused
adjective. — ORIGIN Latin, ‘hardened skin’.Callumny •
noun
(pl.
calumnies
) the making of false and defamatory statements about someone.•
verb
(
calumnies
,
calumnied
) formal calumniate. — DERIVATIVES
calumnious
/klum
ni ss
/ adjective. — ORIGIN Latin
calumnia
.Calyx •
noun
(pl.
calyces
/
kay
liseez/ or 
calyxes
)
1
Botany the sepals of a flower, forming a protectivelayer around a flower in bud.
2
Zoology a cup-like cavity or structure. — ORIGIN Greek 
kalux
‘case of a bud, husk’.Cambist •
noun
1 a dealer in bills of exchange. 2 an expert in foreign exchange. 3 a manual giving themoneys, weights, and measures of different countries, with their equivalents.— ORIGIN 1800–10; < F
cambiste
< It
cambista.
Camphor •
noun
a white volatile crystalline substance with an aromatic smell and bitter taste, occurring incertain essential oils. — ORIGIN Latin
camphora
, from SanskritCanasta •
noun
a card game resembling rummy, using two packs and usually played by two pairs of  partners. — ORIGIN Spanish, ‘basket’.
 
Candela •
noun
Physics the SI unit of luminous intensity. — ORIGIN Latin, ‘candle’.Canker •
noun
 
1
a destructive fungal disease of trees that results in damage to the bark.
2
an open lesion in plant tissue caused by infection or injury.
3
fungal rot in parsnips, tomatoes, or other vegetables.
4
anulcerous condition in animals, especially an inflammation of the ear caused by a mite infestation.•
verb
 
1
become infected with canker.
2
(
cankered
) infected with a pervasive and corrupting bitterness. — DERIVATIVES
cankerous
adjective. — ORIGIN originally denoting a tumour: from Old French
chancre
, from Latin
cancer 
‘crab, creepingulcer’.Canoodle •
verb
informal kiss and cuddle amorously. — ORIGIN of unknown origin.Capacious •
adjective
having a lot of space inside; roomy. — DERIVATIVES
capaciously
adverb
capaciousness
noun. — ORIGIN from Latin
capax
‘capable’.Capitation •
noun
the payment of a fee or grant to a doctor, school, etc., the amount being determined bythe number of patients, pupils, etc. — ORIGIN Latin, from
caput 
‘head’.Carafe •
noun
an open-topped glass flask typically used for serving wine in a restaurant. — ORIGIN French, from Italian
caraffa
, probably from an Arabic word meaning draw water.Carbine •
noun
 
1
a light automatic rifle.
2
historical a short rifle or musket used by cavalry. — ORIGIN French
carabine
, from
carabin
‘mounted musketeer’.Carbuncle •
noun
 
1
a severe abscess or multiple boil in the skin.
2
a bright red gem, in particular a polished garnet. — DERIVATIVES
carbuncular
adjective. — ORIGIN Latin
carbunculus
‘small coal’, from
carbo
‘coal, charcoal’.Careen •
verb
 
1
turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning or repair.
2
(of a ship) tilt; lean over.
3
move in anuncontrolled way; career. — ORIGIN from Latin
carina
‘a keel’.Caret •
noun
a mark (&caret;, &insert;) placed below a line of text to indicate a proposed insertion. — ORIGIN Latin, ‘is lacking’.Caries •
noun
decay and crumbling of a tooth or bone.
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