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English Words Starting With C

13,732 entries — pick a word to see its definition, pronunciation, and usage.

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Noun Verb Adjective Adverb Plural noun Combining form Verb (transitive)Verb (intransitive)Verb (ambitransitive)

character piece
nounLow
/ˈkærəktə piːs/A short musical composition, usually for solo piano, that is meant to evoke a particular mood, scene, or character.
character recognition
nounMedium
/ˈkærəktə ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃn/The technology or process of identifying letters, numbers, or symbols from an image, scanned document, or handwritten input, and converting them into digital text.
character set
nounB2
/ˈkærəktə set/A defined collection of symbols, letters, numbers, and punctuation marks that a computer can recognize and process.
character sketch
nounB2-C1
/ˈkærəktə skɛtʃ/A brief written description of a person's qualities, personality, and distinctive traits.
character study
nounC1/C2
/ˈkærəktə ˌstʌdi/A work of literature, film, or art that focuses on the detailed and deep exploration of a character's psychology, personality, and motivations, often at the expense of plot.
character type
nounB1
/ˈkærəktə(r)/The collective qualities, especially mental and moral, that distinguish an individual; also, a person in a novel, play, or film.
character witness
nounB2
/ˈkærəktə ˈwɪtnəs/A person who testifies in a legal proceeding about the general reputation, moral standing, and personality traits of someone whose character is relevant to the case.
characteristic
adjectivenounC1
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk/A distinguishing feature or quality of a person, place, or thing; a trait that helps identify something.
characteristic curve
nounC1
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk kɜːv/A graph showing the relationship between two variables that defines the performance or properties of a device, material, or system.
characteristic equation
nounC2
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk ɪˈkweɪʒ(ə)n/A mathematical equation, typically in the form det(A - λI) = 0, derived from a square matrix or linear differential equation, whose roots are the eigenvalues or characteristic values of the system.
characteristic function
nounC1/C2
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk ˈfʌŋkʃən/A mathematical function that uniquely identifies membership in a set, often taking the value 1 for elements of the set and 0 for elements not in the set.
characteristic polynomial
nounC2
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk ˌpɒlɪˈnəʊmiəl/A polynomial which is invariant under similarity of matrices and has the eigenvalues as roots.
characteristic root
nounC2
/ˌkær.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk ruːt/In mathematics, a value of lambda for which a specific equation involving a square matrix has a non-zero solution vector.
characteristic vector
nounLow
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk ˈvɛktə/In mathematics, specifically linear algebra, a non-zero vector that, when a linear transformation is applied to it, results only in a scalar multiple of itself.
characteristic velocity
nounSpecialized / Low
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk vəˈlɒsəti/In physics, especially rocketry, a theoretical measure of the effective change in velocity required for a particular rocket mission, representing the combined effect of exhaust velocity and the mass ratio.
characteristic x-ray
nounLow (Specialist)
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk ˈeks reɪ/An X-ray photon with a specific energy, produced when an electron from a higher-energy outer shell drops into a vacancy in an inner shell of an atom, emitting energy unique to that element.
characteristics
nounB1
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪks/A distinguishing quality, trait, or feature of a person, group, or thing.
characterization
nounC1
/ˌkærəktəraɪˈzeɪʃən/The way a writer creates and shows the personality of a character in a story, play, or film.
characterize
verbverb-transitiveC1
/ˈkærəktəraɪz/To describe the distinctive nature or features of someone or something.
characterized
adjectiveverbHigh
/ˈkær.ək.tə.raɪzd/Described or marked by distinctive features, qualities, or properties.

Showing 3941–3960 of 13732 words.