| acetylcholine | (noun) a neurotransmitter that is a derivative of choline; released at the ends of nerve fibers in the somatic and parasympathetic nervous systems | - |
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| acholia | (noun) a condition in which little or no bile is secreted or the flow of bile into the digestive tract is obstructed | Synonyms: cholestasis |
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| achondrite | (noun) a stony meteor lacking chondrules | - |
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| achondritic | (adjective) not having a granular structure | - |
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| (adjective) of or related to an achondrite | - |
| achondroplasia | (noun) an inherited skeletal disorder beginning before birth; cartilage is converted to bone resulting in dwarfism | Synonyms: achondroplasty, chondrodystrophy, osteosclerosis congenita |
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| achondroplastic | (adjective) of or relating to achondroplasia | - |
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| achondroplasty | (noun) an inherited skeletal disorder beginning before birth; cartilage is converted to bone resulting in dwarfism | Synonyms: achondroplasia, chondrodystrophy, osteosclerosis congenita |
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| anchor | (noun) a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving | Synonyms: ground tackle |
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| (noun) a central cohesive source of support and stability | Synonyms: backbone, keystone, linchpin, lynchpin, mainstay |
| (noun) a television reporter who coordinates a broadcast to which several correspondents contribute | Synonyms: anchorman, anchorperson |
| (verb) secure a vessel with an anchor | Synonyms: cast anchor, drop anchor |
| (verb) fix firmly and stably | Synonyms: ground |
| anchorage | (noun) the act of anchoring | - |
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| (noun) place for vessels to anchor | Synonyms: anchorage ground |
| (noun) a fee for anchoring | - |
| (noun) the condition of being secured to a base | - |
| (noun) the provision of a sense of security or steadfastness | - |
| anchorite | (noun) one retired from society for religious reasons | Synonyms: hermit |
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| anchoritic | (adjective) characterized by ascetic solitude | Synonyms: eremitic, eremitical, hermitic, hermitical |
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| anchorman | (noun) a television reporter who coordinates a broadcast to which several correspondents contribute | Synonyms: anchor, anchorperson |
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| anchorperson | (noun) a television reporter who coordinates a broadcast to which several correspondents contribute | Synonyms: anchor, anchorman |
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| anchovy | (noun) small herring-like plankton-eating fishes often canned whole or as paste; abundant in tropical waters worldwide | - |
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| (noun) tiny fishes usually canned or salted; used for hors d'oeuvres or as seasoning in sauces | - |
| anechoic | (adjective) not having or producing echoes; sound-absorbent | - |
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| anticholinergic | (adjective) inhibiting or blocking the action of acetylcholine at a receptor site | - |
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| (noun) a substance that opposes or blocks the action of acetylcholine | Synonyms: anticholinergic drug |
| anticholinesterase | (noun) a medicine that inhibits cholinesterase by combining with it and so has a cholinergic effect | - |
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| antipsychotic | (noun) tranquilizer used to treat psychotic conditions when a calming effect is desired | Synonyms: antipsychotic agent, antipsychotic drug, major tranquilizer, major tranquilliser, major tranquillizer, neuroleptic, neuroleptic agent, neuroleptic drug |
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| archosaur | (noun) extinct reptiles including: dinosaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, thecodonts | Synonyms: archosaurian, archosaurian reptile |
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| archosaurian | (adjective) of or relating to reptiles of the subclass Archosauria | - |
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| (noun) extinct reptiles including: dinosaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, thecodonts | Synonyms: archosaur, archosaurian reptile |
| artichoke | (noun) a thistlelike flower head with edible fleshy leaves and heart | Synonyms: globe artichoke |
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| (noun) Mediterranean thistlelike plant widely cultivated for its large edible flower head | Synonyms: artichoke plant, Cynara scolymus, globe artichoke |
| batrachomyomachia | (noun) a silly altercation | - |
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| broncho | (noun) an unbroken or imperfectly broken mustang | Synonyms: bronc, bronco |
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| bronchodilator | (noun) a drug that relaxes and dilates the bronchial passageways and improves the passages of air into the lungs | - |
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| bronchopneumonia | (noun) pneumonia characterized by acute inflammation of the walls of the bronchioles | Synonyms: bronchial pneumonia |
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| bronchoscope | (noun) a slender tubular instrument used to examine the bronchial tubes | - |
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| bronchoscopic | (adjective) of or relating to an instrument for examining the interior of the bronchi | - |
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| bronchospasm | (noun) a spasm of the bronchi that makes exhalation difficult and noisy; associated with asthma and bronchitis | - |
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| cabochon | (noun) a highly polished gem that is cut convexly but without facets | - |
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| cachou | (noun) a scented lozenge used to sweeten the breath (e.g. to conceal the odor of tobacco) | - |
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| caoutchouc | (noun) an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products | Synonyms: gum elastic, India rubber, natural rubber, rubber |
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| catecholamine | (noun) any of a group of chemicals including epinephrine and norepinephrine that are produced in the medulla of the adrenal gland | - |
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| cephalochordate | (noun) fish-like animals having a notochord rather than a true spinal column | - |
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| chinchona | (noun) any of several trees of the genus Cinchona | Synonyms: cinchona |
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| choana | (noun) either one of the two posterior openings at the back of the nasal cavity leading to the nasopharynx | Synonyms: internal nostril, posterior nasal aperture |
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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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| choc | (noun) colloquial British abbreviation | - |
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| chock | (noun) a block of wood used to prevent the sliding or rolling of a heavy object | Synonyms: wedge |
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| (adverb) as completely as possible | Synonyms: chock-a-block |
| (verb) support on chocks | - |
| (verb) secure with chocks | - |
| chockablock | (adjective) packed full to capacity | Synonyms: chock-full, chockful, choke-full, chuck-full, cram full |
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| chockful | (adjective) packed full to capacity | Synonyms: chock-full, chockablock, choke-full, chuck-full, cram full |
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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 | (adjective) of superior grade | Synonyms: prime, prize, quality, select |
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| (adjective) appealing to refined taste | - |
| (noun) the act of choosing or selecting | Synonyms: option, pick, selection |
| (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 |
| choiceness | (noun) the quality of being very good indeed | Synonyms: fineness |
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| choir | (noun) the area occupied by singers; the part of the chancel between sanctuary and nave | - |
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| (noun) a chorus that sings as part of a religious ceremony | - |
| (noun) a family of similar musical instrument playing together | Synonyms: consort |
| (verb) sing in a choir | Synonyms: chorus |
| choirboy | (noun) a boy who sings in a choir | - |
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| choirmaster | (noun) the musical director of a choir | Synonyms: cantor, precentor |
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| 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 |
| (verb) breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a strong emotion | - |
| (verb) cause to retch or choke | Synonyms: gag |
| (verb) struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake | Synonyms: gag, strangle, suffocate |
| (verb) constrict (someone's) throat and keep from breathing | Synonyms: strangle |
| (verb) reduce the air supply | Synonyms: throttle |
| (verb) pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life | Synonyms: buy the farm, cash in one's chips, conk, croak, decease, die, drop dead, exit, expire, give-up the ghost, go, kick the bucket, pass, pass away, perish, pop off, snuff it |
| (verb) suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of | Synonyms: suffocate |
| (verb) become stultified, suppressed, or stifled | Synonyms: suffocate |
| (verb) be too tight; rub or press | Synonyms: fret, gag |
| (verb) become or cause to become obstructed | Synonyms: back up, choke off, clog, clog up, congest, crap up, foul |
| (verb) wring the neck of | Synonyms: scrag |
| (verb) impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of | Synonyms: asphyxiate, stifle, suffocate |
| (verb) check or slow down the action or effect of | - |
| (verb) fail to perform adequately due to tension or agitation | - |
| chokecherry | (noun) a common wild cherry of eastern North America having small bitter black berries favored by birds | Synonyms: chokecherry tree, Prunus virginiana |
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| (noun) the fruit of the chokecherry tree | - |
| choked | (adjective) stopped up; clogged up | Synonyms: clogged |
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| chokedamp | (noun) the atmosphere in a mine following an explosion; high in carbon dioxide and incapable of supporting life | Synonyms: blackdamp |
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| chokehold | (noun) a restraining hold; someone loops the arm around the neck of another person in a tight grip, usually from behind | Synonyms: choke hold |
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| (noun) complete power over a person or situation | Synonyms: stranglehold, throttlehold |
| chokepoint | (noun) a point of congestion or blockage | - |
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| (noun) a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel | Synonyms: bottleneck, constriction |
| choker | (noun) a high tight collar | Synonyms: neck ruff, ruff, ruffle |
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| (noun) necklace that fits tightly around a woman's neck | Synonyms: collar, dog collar, neckband |
| (noun) someone who kills by strangling | Synonyms: garroter, garrotter, strangler, throttler |
| (noun) an unfortunate person who is unable to perform effectively because of nervous tension or agitation | - |
| chokey | (noun) British slang (dated) for a prison | Synonyms: choky |
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| choking | (adjective) causing difficulty in breathing especially through lack of fresh air and presence of heat | Synonyms: smothering, suffocating, suffocative |
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| (noun) the act of suffocating (someone) by constricting the windpipe | Synonyms: strangling, strangulation, throttling |
| (noun) a condition caused by blocking the airways to the lungs (as with food or swelling of the larynx) | - |
| choky | (adjective) so tight as to tend to choke | - |
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| (noun) British slang (dated) for a prison | Synonyms: chokey |
| cholangiography | (noun) roentgenographic examination of the bile ducts after a contrast medium has been injected | - |
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| cholangitis | (noun) inflammation of the bile ducts | - |
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| cholecalciferol | (noun) a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets | Synonyms: calciferol, D, ergocalciferol, viosterol, vitamin D |
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| cholecystectomy | (noun) surgical removal of the gall bladder (usually for relief of gallstone pain) | - |
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| cholecystitis | (noun) inflammation of the gall bladder | - |
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| cholecystokinin | (noun) a gastrointestinal hormone that stimulates the secretion of pancreatic enzymes and the contraction and emptying of the gall bladder; its release is stimulated by the presence of fatty acids and amino acids in the small intestine | - |
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| cholelithiasis | (noun) the presence of gallstones in the gallbladder | - |
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| cholelithotomy | (noun) removal of gallstone through an incision in the gallbladder | - |
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| choler | (noun) a humor that was once believed to be secreted by the liver and to cause irritability and anger | Synonyms: yellow bile |
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| (noun) a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance | Synonyms: anger, ire |
| (noun) an irritable petulant feeling | Synonyms: crossness, fretfulness, fussiness, irritability, peevishness, petulance |
| cholera | (noun) an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food | Synonyms: Asiatic cholera, epidemic cholera, Indian cholera |
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| choleraic | (adjective) relating to or resulting from or resembling cholera | - |
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| choleric | (adjective) characterized by anger | Synonyms: irascible |
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| (adjective) quickly aroused to anger | Synonyms: hot-tempered, hotheaded, irascible, quick-tempered, short-tempered |
| (adjective) easily moved to anger | - |
| cholestasis | (noun) a condition in which little or no bile is secreted or the flow of bile into the digestive tract is obstructed | Synonyms: acholia |
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| cholesterin | (noun) an animal sterol that is normally synthesized by the liver; the most abundant steroid in animal tissues | Synonyms: cholesterol |
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| cholesterol | (noun) an animal sterol that is normally synthesized by the liver; the most abundant steroid in animal tissues | Synonyms: cholesterin |
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| choline | (noun) a B-complex vitamin that is a constituent of lecithin; essential in the metabolism of fat | - |
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| cholinergic | (adjective) releasing or activated by acetylcholine or a related compound | - |
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| cholinesterase | (noun) an enzyme that hydrolyses acetylcholine (into choline and acetic acid) | - |
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| cholla | (noun) arborescent cacti having very spiny cylindrical stem segments; southwestern United States and Mexico | Synonyms: Opuntia cholla |
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| chomp | (noun) the act of gripping or chewing off with the teeth and jaws | Synonyms: bite |
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| (verb) chew noisily or vigorously | Synonyms: champ |
| chomping | (noun) the act of chewing noisily | - |
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| chon | (noun) 100 chon equal 1 won in North Korea | - |
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| (noun) 100 chon equal 1 won in South Korea | - |
| chondrichthian | (noun) fishes in which the skeleton may be calcified but not ossified | Synonyms: cartilaginous fish |
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| chondrify | (verb) turn into cartilage | - |
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| chondrin | (noun) a substance that resembles gelatin and is obtained by boiling cartilage in water | - |
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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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| chondritic | (adjective) having a granular structure like that of chondrites | Synonyms: granular |
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| chondrodystrophy | (noun) an inherited skeletal disorder beginning before birth; cartilage is converted to bone resulting in dwarfism | Synonyms: achondroplasia, achondroplasty, osteosclerosis congenita |
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| chondroma | (noun) a common benign tumor of cartilage cells | - |
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| chondrosarcoma | (noun) a malignant neoplasm of cartilage cells | - |
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| chondrule | (noun) small granule (of e.g. chrysolite) found in some meteoric rocks | - |
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| choose | (verb) pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives | Synonyms: pick out, select, take |
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| (verb) see fit or proper to act in a certain way; decide to act in a certain way | - |
| (verb) select as an alternative over another | Synonyms: opt, prefer |
| chooser | (noun) a person who chooses or selects out | Synonyms: picker, selector |
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| choosey | (adjective) difficult to please | Synonyms: choosy |
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| choosy | (adjective) difficult to please | Synonyms: choosey |
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| chop | (noun) a tennis return made with a downward motion that puts backspin on the ball | Synonyms: chop shot |
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| (noun) a grounder that bounces high in the air | Synonyms: chopper |
| (noun) a jaw | - |
| (noun) a small cut of meat including part of a rib | - |
| (noun) the irregular motion of waves (usually caused by wind blowing in a direction opposite to the tide) | - |
| (verb) hit sharply | - |
| (verb) cut with a hacking tool | Synonyms: hack |
| (verb) cut into pieces with repeated blows | Synonyms: chop up |
| (verb) strike sharply, as in some sports | - |
| (verb) form or shape by chopping | - |
| (verb) move suddenly | - |
| chopfallen | (adjective) brought low in spirit | Synonyms: chapfallen, crestfallen, deflated |
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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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| chopped | (adjective) prepared by cutting | Synonyms: shredded, sliced |
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| chopper | (noun) a grounder that bounces high in the air | Synonyms: chop |
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| (noun) a butcher's knife having a large square blade | Synonyms: cleaver, meat cleaver |
| (noun) an aircraft without wings that obtains its lift from the rotation of overhead blades | Synonyms: eggbeater, helicopter, whirlybird |
| (noun) informal terms for a human `tooth' | Synonyms: pearly |
| choppiness | (noun) used of the sea during inclement or stormy weather | Synonyms: rough water, roughness |
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| choppy | (adjective) rough with small waves | - |
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| (adjective) marked by abrupt transitions | Synonyms: jerky |