| chase | (noun) the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture | Synonyms: following, pursual, pursuit |
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| (noun) a rectangular metal frame used in letterpress printing to hold together the pages or columns of composed type that are printed at one time | - |
| chasse | (noun) (ballet) quick gliding steps with one foot always leading | Synonyms: sashay |
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| chasuble | (noun) a long sleeveless vestment worn by a priest when celebrating Mass | - |
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| chatelaine | (noun) a chain formerly worn at the waist by women; for carrying a purse or bunch of keys etc. | - |
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| (noun) the mistress of a chateau or large country house | - |
| chauffeuse | (noun) a woman chauffeur | - |
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| cheapskate | (noun) a miserly person | Synonyms: tightwad |
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| checkmate | (noun) a chess move constituting an inescapable and indefensible attack on the opponent's king | Synonyms: mate |
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| (noun) complete victory | - |
| cheekbone | (noun) the arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek | Synonyms: jugal bone, malar, malar bone, os zygomaticum, zygomatic, zygomatic bone |
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| cheekpiece | (noun) either of two straps of a bridle that connect the bit to the headpiece | - |
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| cheese | (noun) a solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk | - |
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| (noun) erect or decumbent Old World perennial with axillary clusters of rosy-purple flowers; introduced in United States | Synonyms: cheeseflower, high mallow, Malva sylvestris, tall mallow |
| cheesecake | (noun) a photograph of an attractive woman in minimal attire | - |
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| (noun) made with sweetened cream cheese and eggs and cream baked in a crumb crust | - |
| chelate | (noun) a heterocyclic compound having a metal ion attached by coordinate bonds to at least two nonmetal ions | Synonyms: chelate compound |
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| chemiluminescence | (noun) luminescence resulting from a chemical reaction as the oxidation of luciferin in fireflies | - |
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| chemise | (noun) a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist | Synonyms: sack, shift |
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| (noun) a woman's sleeveless undergarment | Synonyms: shift, shimmy, slip, teddy |
| chenille | (noun) a heavy fabric woven with chenille cord; used in rugs and bedspreads | - |
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| (noun) a soft tufted cord used in embroidery | Synonyms: chenille cord |
| cheque | (noun) a written order directing a bank to pay money | Synonyms: bank check, check |
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| cherrystone | (noun) a half-grown quahog | Synonyms: cherrystone clam |
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| (noun) small quahog larger than a littleneck; eaten raw or cooked as in e.g. clams casino | Synonyms: cherrystone clam |
| chevre | (noun) made from goats' milk | Synonyms: goat cheese |
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| chicane | (noun) the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them) | Synonyms: chicanery, guile, shenanigan, trickery, wile |
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| (noun) a movable barrier used in motor racing; sometimes placed before a dangerous corner to reduce speed as cars pass in single file | - |
| (noun) a bridge hand that is void of trumps | - |
| chichipe | (noun) tall treelike Mexican cactus with edible red fruit | Synonyms: Lemaireocereus chichipe |
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| chickadee | (noun) any of various small grey-and-black songbirds of North America | - |
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| chickeree | (noun) far western United States counterpart of the red squirrel | Synonyms: Douglas squirrel, Tamiasciurus douglasi |
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| chicle | (noun) gum-like substance from the sapodilla | Synonyms: chicle gum |
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| chigoe | (noun) small tropical flea; the fertile female burrows under the skin of the host including humans | Synonyms: chigger, chigoe flea, Tunga penetrans |
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| childcare | (noun) a service involving care for other people's children | Synonyms: child care |
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| chile | (noun) very hot and finely tapering pepper of special pungency | Synonyms: chili, chili pepper, chilli, chilly |
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| chime | (noun) a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument | Synonyms: bell, gong |
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| chimneypiece | (noun) shelf that projects from wall above fireplace | Synonyms: mantel, mantelpiece, mantle, mantlepiece |
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| chimpanzee | (noun) intelligent somewhat arboreal ape of equatorial African forests | Synonyms: chimp, Pan troglodytes |
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| chinaware | (noun) dishware made of high quality porcelain | Synonyms: china |
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| chincherinchee | (noun) South African perennial with long-lasting spikes of white blossoms that are shipped in to Europe and America for use as winter cut flowers | Synonyms: Ornithogalum thyrsoides, wonder flower |
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| chine | (noun) backbone of an animal | - |
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| (noun) cut of meat or fish including at least part of the backbone | - |
| chinoiserie | (noun) a style in art reflecting Chinese influence; elaborately decorated and intricately patterned | - |
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| chiocciole | (noun) a type of pasta that is elbow-shaped. | - |
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| chipotle | (noun) a ripe jalapeno that has been dried for use in cooking | - |
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| chivaree | (noun) a noisy mock serenade (made by banging pans and kettles) to a newly married couple | Synonyms: belling, callathump, callithump, charivari, shivaree |
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| chive | (noun) perennial having hollow cylindrical leaves used for seasoning | Synonyms: Allium schoenoprasum, chives, cive, schnittlaugh |
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| chlamydospore | (noun) thick-walled asexual resting spore of certain fungi and algae | - |
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| chlamyphore | (noun) very small Argentine armadillo with pale silky hair and pink plates on head and neck | Synonyms: Chlamyphorus truncatus, fairy armadillo, pichiciago, pichiciego |
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| chloramine | (noun) any of several compounds containing chlorine and nitrogen; used as an antiseptic in wounds | Synonyms: chloramine-T |
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| chlorate | (noun) any salt of chloric acid | - |
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| chlordiazepoxide | (noun) a tranquilizer (trade names Librium and Libritabs) used in the treatment of alcoholism | Synonyms: Libritabs, Librium |
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| chlorhexidine | (noun) a long-lasting liquid antiseptic; used by surgeons to wash their hands before performing surgery | - |
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| chloride | (noun) any compound containing a chlorine atom | - |
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| (noun) any salt of hydrochloric acid (containing the chloride ion) | - |
| chlorine | (noun) a common nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; best known as a heavy yellow irritating toxic gas; used to purify water and as a bleaching agent and disinfectant; occurs naturally only as a salt (as in sea water) | Synonyms: atomic number 17, Cl |
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| chlorite | (noun) a generally green or black mineral; it occurs as a constituent of many rocks typically in the form of a flat crystal | - |
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| chloroacetophenone | (noun) a tear gas that is weaker than CS gas but lasts longer | Synonyms: CN gas |
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| chlorobenzene | (noun) a colorless volatile flammable liquid with an almond odor that is made from chlorine and benzene; used as a solvent and in the production of phenol and DDT and other organic compounds | - |
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| chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile | (noun) a tear gas that is stronger than CN gas but wears off faster; can be deployed by grenades or cluster bombs; can cause skin burns and fatal pulmonary edema | Synonyms: CS gas |
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| chlorophyte | (noun) algae that are clear green in color; often growing on wet ricks or damp wood or the surface of stagnant water | Synonyms: green algae |
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| chloroplatinate | (noun) any salt of chloroplatinic acid. | - |
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| chloroprene | (noun) derivative of butadiene used in making neoprene by polymerization | - |
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| chloroquine | (noun) an antimalarial drug used to treat malaria and amebic dysentery and systemic lupus erythematosus | - |
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| chlorothiazide | (noun) a diuretic drug (trade name Diuril) used in the treatment of edema and hypertension | Synonyms: Diuril |
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| chlorpromazine | (noun) a drug (trade name Thorazine) derived from phenothiazine that has antipsychotic effects and is used as a sedative and tranquilizer | Synonyms: Thorazine |
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| chlortetracycline | (noun) a yellow crystalline antibiotic (trade name Aureomycin) used to treat certain bacterial and rickettsial diseases | Synonyms: Aureomycin |
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| chlorthalidone | (noun) a diuretic (trade names Hygroton and Thalidone) used to control hypertension and conditions that cause edema; effective in lowering blood pressure to prevent heart attacks | Synonyms: Hygroton, Thalidone |
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| choanocyte | (noun) any of the flagellated cells in sponges having a collar of cytoplasm around the flagellum; they maintain a flow of water through the body | Synonyms: collar cell |
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| chocolate | (noun) a medium brown to dark-brown color | Synonyms: burnt umber, coffee, deep brown, umber |
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| (noun) a food made from roasted ground cacao beans | - |
| (noun) a beverage made from cocoa powder and milk and sugar; usually drunk hot | Synonyms: cocoa, drinking chocolate, hot chocolate |
| choice | (noun) the act of choosing or selecting | Synonyms: option, pick, selection |
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| (noun) the person or thing chosen or selected | Synonyms: pick, selection |
| (noun) one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen | Synonyms: alternative, option |
| choke | (noun) a valve that controls the flow of air into the carburetor of a gasoline engine | - |
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| (noun) a coil of low resistance and high inductance used in electrical circuits to pass direct current and attenuate alternating current | Synonyms: choke coil, choking coil |
| choline | (noun) a B-complex vitamin that is a constituent of lecithin; essential in the metabolism of fat | - |
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| cholinesterase | (noun) an enzyme that hydrolyses acetylcholine (into choline and acetic acid) | - |
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| chondriosome | (noun) an organelle containing enzymes responsible for producing energy | Synonyms: mitochondrion |
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| chondrite | (noun) a rock of meteoric origin containing chondrules | - |
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| chondrule | (noun) small granule (of e.g. chrysolite) found in some meteoric rocks | - |
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| chophouse | (noun) a restaurant that specializes in steaks | Synonyms: steakhouse |
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| chopine | (noun) a woman's shoe with a very high thick sole | Synonyms: platform |
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| chorale | (noun) a stately Protestant (especially Lutheran) hymn tune | Synonyms: choral |
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| chordate | (noun) any animal of the phylum Chordata having a notochord or spinal column | - |
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| chordophone | (noun) a stringed instrument of the group including harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers | - |
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| chore | (noun) a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee | Synonyms: job, task |
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| chorine | (noun) a woman who dances in a chorus line | Synonyms: chorus girl, showgirl |
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| chortle | (noun) a soft partly suppressed laugh | Synonyms: chuckle |
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| chromate | (noun) any salt or ester of chromic acid | - |
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| chrome | (noun) another word for chromium when it is used in dyes or pigments | - |
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| chromite | (noun) a brownish-black mineral; the major source of chromium | - |
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| chromophore | (noun) the chemical group that gives color to a molecule | - |
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| chromosome | (noun) a threadlike strand of DNA in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order | - |
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| chromosphere | (noun) a gaseous layer of the sun's atmosphere (extending from the photosphere to the corona) that is visible during a total eclipse of the sun | - |
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| chronicle | (noun) a record or narrative description of past events | Synonyms: account, history, story |
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| chronoscope | (noun) an instrument for accurate measurements of small intervals of time | - |
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| chrysolite | (noun) a brown or yellow-green olivine found in igneous and metamorphic rocks and used as a gemstone | - |
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| chrysoprase | (noun) a green variety of chalcedony valued as a gemstone | - |
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| chrysotile | (noun) a grey or green fibrous mineral; an important source of commercial asbestos | - |
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| chuckhole | (noun) a pit or hole produced by wear or weathering (especially in a road surface) | Synonyms: pothole |
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| chuckle | (noun) a soft partly suppressed laugh | Synonyms: chortle |
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| chute | (noun) sloping channel through which things can descend | Synonyms: slide, slideway, sloping trough |
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| (noun) rescue equipment consisting of a device that fills with air and retards your fall | Synonyms: parachute |
| chyle | (noun) a milky fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fats; formed in the small intestine during digestion of ingested fats | - |
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| chyme | (noun) a semiliquid mass of partially digested food that passes from the stomach through the pyloric sphincter into the duodenum | - |
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| cicatrice | (noun) a mark left (usually on the skin) by the healing of injured tissue | Synonyms: cicatrix, scar |
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| cicerone | (noun) a guide who conducts and informs sightseers | - |
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| cigarette | (noun) finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking | Synonyms: butt, cigaret, coffin nail, fag |
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| ciliate | (noun) a protozoan with a microscopic appendage extending from the surface of the cell | Synonyms: ciliated protozoan, ciliophoran |
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| cimetidine | (noun) a drug (trade name Tagamet) used to treat peptic ulcers by decreasing the secretion of stomach acid | Synonyms: Tagamet |
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| cinchonine | (noun) an alkaloid derivative of the bark of cinchona trees that is used as an antimalarial drug | - |
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| cincture | (noun) a band of material around the waist that strengthens a skirt or trousers | Synonyms: girdle, sash, waistband, waistcloth |
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| cinnamene | (noun) a colorless oily liquid; the monomer for polystyrene | Synonyms: phenylethylene, styrene, vinylbenzene |
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| cinque | (noun) the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one | Synonyms: 5, fin, five, fivesome, Little Phoebe, pentad, Phoebe, quint, quintet, quintuplet, V |
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| circle | (noun) movement once around a course | Synonyms: circuit, lap |
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| (noun) any circular or rotating mechanism | Synonyms: round |
| (noun) a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island | Synonyms: rotary, roundabout, traffic circle |
| (noun) a curved section or tier of seats in a hall or theater or opera house; usually the first tier above the orchestra | Synonyms: dress circle |
| (noun) street names for flunitrazepam | Synonyms: forget me drug, Mexican valium, R-2, roach, roofy, rope, rophy |
| (noun) an unofficial association of people or groups | Synonyms: band, lot, set |
| (noun) ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point | - |
| (noun) something approximating the shape of a circle | - |