Term
Callous (adj.) [kal-uhs]
[Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin callōsus hard-skinned, tough, equivalent to call ( um ) tough skin, any hard substance + -ōsus -ous] |
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Definition
| Harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer's callous lack of remorse shocked the jury.) |
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Term
Calumny (n.) [kal-uhm-nee]
[Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin calumnia, equivalent to calumn-, perhaps originally a middle participle of calvī to deceive + -ia -y3 )] |
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Definition
| An attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies (The local official's calumny ended up ruining his opponent's prospect of winning the election.) |
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Term
Camaraderie (n.) [kah-muh-rah-duh-ree, -rad-uh-, kam-uh-]
[Origin:
1830–40; < French, equivalent to camarade comrade + -erie -ery] |
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Definition
| Brotherhood, jovial unity (Camaraderie among employees usually leads to success in buisiness) |
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Term
Candor (n.) [kan-der]
[Origin:
1350–1400 (for sense “extreme whiteness”); Middle English < Latin: radiance, whiteness; see candid, -or1] |
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Definition
| Honesty, frankness (We were suprised by the candor of the mayor's speech because he is usually rather evasive) |
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Term
Canny (adj.) [kan-ee]
[Origin:
1630–40; can1 + -y1] |
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Definition
| Shrewd, careful (The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end.) |
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Term
Canvas (n.)/(v.) [kan-vuhs]
[Origin:
1225–75; Middle English canevas < Anglo-French, Old North French < Vulgar Latin *cannabāceus (noun use of adj.), equivalent to Latin cannab ( is ) hemp + -āceus -aceous] |
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Definition
(n.) A piece of cloth on which an artist paints (Picasso liked to work on canvas rather than on bare cement.)
(v.) To cover, inspect (We canvassed the neighborhood looking for clues.)
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Term
Capacious (adj.) [kuh-pey-shuhs]
[Origin:
1605–15; capaci(ty) + -ous] |
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Definition
| Very spacious (The workers delighted in their new capacious office space.) |
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Term
Capitulate (v.) [kuh-pich-uh-leyt]
[Origin:
1570–80; < Medieval Latin capitulātus (past participle of capitulāre to draw up in sections), equivalent to capitul ( um ) section (literally, small head; see capitulum) + -ātus -ate1] |
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Definition
| To surrender (The army finally capitulated after fighting a long costly battle.) |
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Term
Capricious (adj.) [kuh-preesh- uhs, -pree-shuhs]
[Origin:
1585–95; < Italian capriccioso capriccioso] |
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Definition
| Subject to whim, fickle (The young girl's capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.) |
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Term
Captivate (v.) [kap-tuh-veyt]]
[Origin:
1520–30; < Late Latin captīvātus (past participle of captīvāre to take captive), equivalent to Latin captīv ( us ) captive + -ātus -ate1] |
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Definition
| To get the attention of, hold (The fireworks captivated the young boy, who had never seen such things before.) |
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Term
Carouse (v.) [kuh-rouz]
[Origin:
1550–60; variant of garouse < German gar aus ( trinken ) (to drink) fully out, i.e. drain the cup; compare Middle French carous < dialectal German gar ūs] |
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Definition
| To party, celebrate (We caroused all night after getting married.) |
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Term
Carp (v.) [kahrp]
[Origin:
1200–50; Middle English carpen to speak, prate < Old Norse karpa to brag, wrangle] |
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Definition
| To annoy, pester (The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping voice for decades.) |
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Term
Catalog (v.)/(n.) [kat-l-awg, -og]
[Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English cataloge < Late Latin catalogus < Greek katálogos a register (akin to katalégein to count up), equivalent to kata- cata- + -logos reckoning] |
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Definition
(v.) To list, enter into a list (The judge cataloged the victim's injuries before calculating how much money he would award.)
(n.) A list or collection (We recieved a catalog from J. Crew that displayed all of their new items.)
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Term
Catalyze (v.) [kat-l-ahyz]
[Origin:
1885–90; cataly(sis) + (-i)ze] |
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Definition
| To change, inspire (The president's speech catalyzed the nation and resuscitated the economy.) |
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Term
Caucus (n.) [kaw-kuhs]
[Origin:
1755–65, Americanism ; apparently first used in the name of the Caucus Club of colonial Boston; perhaps < Medieval Latin caucus drinking vessel, Late Latin caucum < Greek kaûkos; alleged Virginia Algonquian orig. less probable] |
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Definition
| A meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (The ironworkers held a caucus to determine how much of a pay increase they would request.) |
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