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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)

cardin
nounB2-C1
/ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl/A high-ranking official in the Catholic Church, appointed by the pope and constituting the body that elects a new pope.
cardinal
adjectivenounB2
/ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl/A high-ranking official in the Roman Catholic Church, or a bright red songbird native to North and South America.
cardinal beetle
nounC1
/ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl ˈbiː.təl/A striking, bright red beetle from the family Pyrochroidae.
cardinal flower
nounLow
/ˈkɑːdɪnəl ˌflaʊə/A North American wildflower (Lobelia cardinalis) known for its brilliant scarlet flowers.
cardinal number
nounC1
/ˈkɑːdɪn(ə)l ˈnʌmbə/A number used in counting (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 10) that indicates quantity, as opposed to order or position.
cardinal points
plural-nounB1
/ˌkɑː.dɪ.nəl ˈpɔɪnts/The four main directions on a compass: north, south, east, and west.
cardinal sign
nounC1
/ˈkɑːdɪnəl saɪn/In astrology, one of the four zodiac signs that begin each season: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.
cardinal sin
nounMedium
ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl sɪnA serious or fundamental transgression, especially one that breaks a core principle or rule.
cardinal spider
nounLow
/ˈkɑːdɪnəl ˈspaɪdə/A large, common house spider native to Britain and Europe, often found indoors, especially in autumn.
cardinal system
nounC1
/ˈkɑːdɪnəl ˈsɪstəm/A fundamental, numerically-based framework for ordering, categorising, or representing information, where the primary principle is quantity or count (one, two, three...), as opposed to order or rank.
cardinal tetra
nounLow
/ˈkɑːdɪnəl ˈtɛtrə/A small, brightly colored freshwater fish, Paracheirodon axelrodi, native to South America, characterized by a vivid red lower body and a striking blue stripe.
cardinal trait
nounC2
/ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl treɪt/A single, dominant personality characteristic that profoundly shapes a person's identity and behavior.
cardinal virtue
nounC2
/ˌkɑː.dɪ.nəl ˈvɜː.tʃuː/One of the four principal natural virtues identified in classical and Christian philosophy, considered fundamental to moral life.
cardinal virtues
plural-nounC1/C2
/ˌkɑː.dɪ.nəl ˈvɜː.tʃuːz/The four principal virtues of classical and Christian ethics: prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.
cardinal vowel
nounRare
/ˈkɑːdɪnəl ˈvaʊəl/A set of reference vowel sounds, established by phoneticians, used to describe and categorize the vowel sounds of any language.
cardinal vowels
plural-nounC2
/ˌkɑː.dɪ.nəl ˈvaʊ.əlz/A set of reference vowel sounds used in phonetics to describe the vowel space of the human vocal tract and to provide fixed points for the description and classification of all other vowels.
cardinalate
nounC2
/ˈkɑːdɪnəleɪt/The office, rank, or dignity of a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church.
cardinalfish
nounC1/C2
/ˈkɑːdɪnəlˌfɪʃ/A small, brightly colored marine fish of the family Apogonidae, often with red pigmentation.
cardinality
nounC2
/ˌkɑːdɪˈnæləti/The number of elements in a set.
carding
nounMedium-Low
/ˈkɑːdɪŋ/The act of preparing fibers, like wool or cotton, by brushing and disentangling them with a carding tool.

Showing 1741–1760 of 13732 words.