cu -abbr

  1. cubic
  2. cumulative

Cu -abbr

  1. cumulus
  2. copper

CU -abbr

  1. close-up

cua·dri·lla [kwä-'drē-yə, -'drēl-] -n

  1. the team assisting the matador in the bullring

cub ['kəb] -n

  1. a young carnivorous mammal (as a bear, fox, or lion)
  2. a young shark
  3. a young person
  4. apprentice
  5. an inexperienced newspaper reporter

cub·age ['kyü-bij] -n

  1. cubic content, volume, or displacement

Cu·ba li·bre [,kyü-bə-'lē-brə] -n

  1. a cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and cola

Cu·ban heel ['kyü-bən-] -n

  1. a broad medium-high heel with a moderately curved back

Cuban sandwich -n

  1. a usu. grilled and pressed sandwich in Cuban-American cuisine served on a long split roll and typically containing roasted meats, cheese, and pickles
  2. submarine

cub·by ['kə-bē] -n

  1. cubbyhole

cub·by·hole ['kə-bē-,hōl] -n

  1. a small snug place (as for hiding or storage)
  2. a cramped space

cube ['kyüb] -n

  1. the regular solid of six equal square sides
  2. something shaped like a cube
    • ice cube
  3. cubicle
  4. the product of a number multiplied by itself twice
  5. raised to the third power
  6. to raise to the third power
  7. to form into a cube
  8. to cut partly through (a steak) in a checkered pattern to increase tenderness by breaking the fibers

cu·be ['kyü-,bā, kyü-'] -n

  1. any of several tropical American plants (genus Lonchocarpus) furnishing rotenone

cu·beb ['kyü-,beb] -n

  1. the dried unripe berry of a tropical shrub ( Piper cubeba) of the pepper family that is used as a spice

cube root -n

  1. a number whose cube is a given number

cube steak -n

  1. a thin slice of beef that has been cubed

cu·bic ['kyü-bik] -adj

  1. having the form of a cube : cubical
  2. relating to the cube considered as a crystal form
  3. isometric
  4. three-dimensional
  5. being the volume of a cube whose edge is a specified unit
    • cubic inch
  6. of third degree, order, or power
    • a cubic polynomial

cubic -n

  1. a cubic curve, equation, or polynomial

cu·bi·cal ['kyü-bi-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. cubic
  2. shaped like a cube
  3. relating to volume

cubic equation -n

  1. a polynomial equation in which the highest sum of exponents of variables in any term is three

cu·bi·cle ['kyü-bi-kəl] -n

  1. a sleeping compartment partitioned off from a large room
  2. a small partitioned space
  3. one with a desk used for work in a business office
  4. carrel

cubic measure -n

  1. a unit (as cubic inch or cubic centimeter) for measuring volume

cubic zirconia -n

  1. a synthetic gemstone of zirconia resembling a diamond

cub·ism ['kyü-,bi-zəm] -n, n or adj, adj

  1. a style of art that stresses abstract structure at the expense of other pictorial elements esp. by displaying several aspects of the same object simultaneously and by fragmenting the form of depicted objects

cu·bit ['kyü-bət] -n

  1. any of various ancient units of length based on the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger and usu. equal to about 18 inches (46 centimeters)

cu·boid ['kyü-,bȯid] -adj

  1. approximately cubical in shape
  2. relating to or being the cuboid

cuboid -n

  1. the outermost bone in the distal row of tarsal bones of many higher vertebrates

cu·boi·dal [kyü-'bȯi-dᵊl] -adj

  1. somewhat cubical
  2. composed of nearly cubical elements
    • cuboidal epithelium

Cub Scout -n

  1. a member of the scouting program of the Boy Scouts for boys in the first through fifth grades in school

cuck·ing stool ['kə-kiŋ-] -n

  1. a chair formerly used for punishing offenders (as dishonest tradesmen) by public exposure or ducking in water

cuck·old ['kə-kəld, -(,)kōld] -n, vt

  1. a man whose wife is unfaithful

cuck·old·ry [-kəl-drē] -n

  1. the practice of making cuckolds
  2. the state of being a cuckold

cuck·oo ['kü-(,)kü, 'ku̇-] -n

  1. a largely grayish-brown European bird ( Cuculus canorus) that is a parasite given to laying its eggs in the nests of other birds which hatch them and rear the offspring
  2. any of a large family (Cuculidae of the order Cuculiformes) to which this bird belongs
  3. the call of the cuckoo
  4. a silly or slightly crackbrained person

cuckoo -vt

  1. to repeat monotonously as a cuckoo does its call
  2. of, relating to, or resembling the cuckoo
  3. deficient in sense or intelligence : silly

cuckoo clock -n

  1. a wall or shelf clock that announces the hours by sounds resembling a cuckoo's call

cuck·oo·flow·er ['kü-(,)kü-,flau̇(-ə)r, 'ku̇-] -n

  1. a bitter cress ( Cardamine pratensis) of Eurasia and No. America
  2. ragged robin

cuck·oo·pint [-,pint] -n

  1. a European arum ( Arum maculatum) with erect spathe and short purple spadix

cuckoo spit -n

  1. a frothy secretion exuded on plants by the nymphs of spittle insects
  2. spittlebug

cu·cul·late ['kyü-kə-,lāt, kyü-'kə-lət] -adj

  1. having the shape of a hood
    • a cucullate leaf

cu·cum·ber ['kyü-(,)kəm-bər] -n

  1. the fruit of a vine ( Cucumis sativus) of the gourd family cultivated as a garden vegetable
  2. this vine

cucumber mosaic -n

  1. a plant disease esp. of cucumbers that is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus (species Cucumber mosaic virusof the genus Cucumovirus,family Bromoviridae) and is transmitted chiefly by an aphid and produces mottled foliage and often pale warty fruits

cucumber tree -n

  1. a magnolia ( Magnolia acuminata) of the eastern U.S. having fruit resembling a small cucumber

cu·cur·bit [kyü-'kər-bət] -n

  1. a vessel or flask for distillation used with or forming part of an alembic
  2. a plant of the gourd family

cud ['kəd, chiefly Southern 'ku̇d or 'küd] -n

  1. food brought up into the mouth by a ruminating animal from its first stomach to be chewed again
  2. quid

cud·bear ['kəd-,ber] -n

  1. a reddish coloring matter from lichens

cud·dle ['kə-dᵊl] -vb, n

  1. to hold close for warmth or comfort or in affection
  2. to lie close or snug : nestle, snuggle

cuddle -n

  1. a close embrace

cud·dle·some ['kə-dᵊl-səm] -adj

  1. cuddly

cud·dly ['kəd-lē, 'kə-dᵊl-ē] -adj

  1. fit for or inviting cuddling
    • a cuddly kitten

cud·dy ['kə-dē] -n

  1. a usu. small cabin or shelter (as on a sailboat)
  2. a small room or cupboard
  3. donkey
  4. blockhead

cud·gel ['kə-jəl] -n

  1. a short heavy club

cudgel ['kəj-liŋ, 'kə-jə-] -vt

  1. to beat with or as if with a cudgel

cud·weed ['kəd-,wēd, chiefly Southern 'ku̇d- or 'küd-] -n

  1. any of several composite plants (as of the genus Gnaphalium) with silky or woolly foliage

cue ['kyü] -n

  1. the letter q
  2. a signal (as a word, phrase, or bit of stage business) to a performer to begin a specific speech or action
  3. something serving a comparable purpose : hint
  4. a feature indicating the nature of something perceived
  5. the part one has to perform in or as if in a play
  6. mood, humor
  7. to give a cue to : prompt
  8. to insert into a continuous performance
    • cue in sound effects
  9. a leather-tipped tapering rod for striking the cue ball (as in billiards and pool)
  10. a long-handled instrument with a concave head for shoving disks in shuffleboard
  11. queue
  12. queue
  13. to strike with a cue
  14. queue
  15. to use a cue

cue ball -n

  1. the ball a player strikes with the cue in billiards and pool

cues·ta ['kwes-tə] -n

  1. a hill or ridge with a steep face on one side and a gentle slope on the other

cuff ['kəf] -n, adj

  1. something (as a part of a sleeve or glove) encircling the wrist
  2. the turned-back hem of a trouser leg
  3. handcuff usu. used in pl.
  4. a usu. wide metal band worn as a bracelet
  5. an inflatable band that is wrapped around an extremity to control the flow of blood through the part when recording blood pressure with a sphygmomanometer
  6. to furnish with a cuff
  7. handcuff
  8. to strike esp. with or as if with the palm of the hand : buffet
  9. fight, scuffle
  10. a blow with the hand esp. when open : slap

cuff link -n

  1. a usu. ornamental device consisting of two parts joined by a shank, chain, or bar for passing through buttonholes to fasten shirt cuffs usu. used in pl.

cui bo·no ['kwē-'bō-(,)nō] -n

  1. a principle that probable responsibility for an act or event lies with one having something to gain
  2. usefulness or utility as a principle in estimating the value of an act or policy

cui·rass [kwi-'ras, kyu̇-] -n, adj

  1. a piece of armor covering the body from neck to waist
  2. the breastplate of such a piece
  3. something (as bony plates covering an animal) resembling a cuirass

cui·ras·sier [,kwir-ə-'sir, ,kyu̇r-] -n

  1. a mounted soldier wearing a cuirass

Cui·se·naire rod [,kwē-zə-'ner-] -n

  1. any of a set of colored rods usu. of 1 centimeter cross section and of 10 lengths from 1 to 10 centimeters that are used for teaching number concepts and the basic operations of arithmetic

cui·sine [kwi-'zēn, kwē-] -n

  1. manner of preparing food : style of cooking
  2. the food prepared

cuisse ['kwis] -n

  1. a piece of plate armor for the front of the thigh

cuke ['kyük] -n

  1. cucumber

culdesac ['kəl-di-,sak, 'ku̇l-; ,kəl-di-', ,ku̇l-] -n

  1. a blind diverticulum or pouch
  2. a street or passage closed at one end
  3. blind alley

cu·let ['kyü-lət, 'kə-lət] -n

  1. the small flat facet at the bottom of a brilliant parallel to the table
  2. plate armor covering the buttocks

cu·lex ['kyü-,leks] -n

  1. any of a large cosmopolitan genus ( Culex) of mosquitoes that includes the common house mosquito ( C. pipiens) of Europe and No. America and vectors of the viruses causing Saint Louis encephalitis and West Nile fever

cu·li·nar·i·an [,kə-lə-'ner-ē-ən, 'kyü-, ,kü-] -n

  1. cook, chef

cu·li·nary ['kə-lə-,ner-ē, 'kyü-, ,kü-] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to the kitchen or cookery

cull ['kəl] -vt, n

  1. to select from a group : choose
    • cull ed the best passages from the poet's work
  2. to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of esp. weaker animals
  3. to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control
  4. something rejected esp. as being inferior or worthless
    • how to separate good-looking pecans from cull s -- Washington Post

cul·len·der ['kä-lən-dər, 'kə-] -n

(variant of colander)

  1. a perforated utensil for washing or draining food

cul·let ['kə-lət] -n

  1. broken or refuse glass usu. added to new material to facilitate melting in making glass

cul·lion ['kəl-yən] -n

  1. a mean or base fellow

cul·ly ['kə-lē] -n

  1. one easily tricked or imposed on : dupe

cully -vt

  1. cheat, deceive

culm ['kəlm] -n

  1. refuse coal screenings : slack
  2. a monocotyledonous stem (as of a grass or sedge)

cul·mi·nant ['kəl-mə-nənt] -adj

  1. being at greatest altitude or on the meridian
  2. fully developed

cul·mi·nate ['kəl-mə-,nāt] -vb

  1. to reach its highest altitude
  2. to be directly overhead
  3. to rise to or form a summit
  4. to reach the highest or a climactic or decisive point
  5. to bring to a head or to the highest point

cul·mi·na·tion [,kəl-mə-'nā-shən] -n

  1. the action of culminating
  2. culminating position : climax

cu·lotte ['kü-,lät, 'kyü-; kü-'lät, kyü-'] -n

  1. a divided skirt
  2. a garment having a divided skirt often used in pl.

cul·pa·ble ['kəl-pə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. guilty, criminal
  2. meriting condemnation or blame esp. as wrong or harmful
    • culpable negligence

cul·prit ['kəl-prət, -,prit] -n

  1. one accused of or charged with a crime
  2. one guilty of a crime or a fault
  3. the source or cause of a problem

cult ['kəlt] -n, adj, adv

  1. formal religious veneration : worship
  2. a system of religious beliefs and ritual
  3. its body of adherents
  4. a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious
  5. its body of adherents
  6. a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
    • health cult s
  7. great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book)
  8. such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad
  9. the object of such devotion
  10. a usu. small group of people characterized by such devotion

cultch ['kəlch] -n

  1. material (as oyster shells) laid down on oyster grounds to furnish points of attachment for the spat
  2. clutter, trash

cul·ti·gen ['kəl-tə-jən] -n

  1. a cultivated or domestic organism (as the kidney bean Phaseolus vulgaris,the dog Canis familiaris,or corn Zea mays) which has diverged enough while in domestication or cultivation from its ancestors or closest wild relatives to be classified as a species, subspecies, or major variety

cul·ti·va·ble ['kəl-tə-və-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of being cultivated
    • cultivable land

cul·ti·var ['kəl-tə-,vär, -,ver] -n

  1. an organism and esp. one of an agricultural or horticultural variety or strain originating and persistent under cultivation

cul·ti·vate ['kəl-tə-,vāt] -vt, adj

  1. to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops
  2. to loosen or break up the soil about (growing plants)
  3. to foster the growth of
    • cultivate vegetables
  4. culture
  5. to improve by labor, care, or study : refine
    • cultivate the mind
  6. further, encourage
    • cultivate the arts
  7. to seek the society of : make friends with

cultivated -adj

  1. refined, educated
    • cultivated speech
    • cultivated tastes

cul·ti·va·tion [,kəl-tə-'vā-shən] -n

  1. culture, refinement
  2. the act or art of cultivating or tilling

cul·ti·va·tor ['kəl-tə-,vā-tər] -n

  1. one that cultivates
  2. an implement for loosening the soil while crops are growing

cul·tur·al ['kəlch-rəl, 'kəl-chə-] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to culture or culturing
  2. concerned with the fostering of plant or animal growth

cultural anthropology -n

  1. anthropology that deals with human culture esp. with respect to social structure, language, law, politics, religion, magic, art, and technology

cul·tur·a·ti [,kəl-chə-'rä-(,)tē] -n pl

  1. people intensely interested in cultural affairs

cul·ture ['kəl-chər] -n

  1. cultivation, tillage
  2. the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties esp. by education
  3. expert care and training
    • beauty culture
  4. enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training
  5. acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills
  6. the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations
  7. the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group
  8. the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time
    • popular culture
    • southern culture
  9. the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization
    • a corporate culture focused on the bottom line
  10. the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic
    • studying the effect of computers on print culture
    • changing the culture of materialism will take time -- Peggy O'Mara
  11. the act or process of cultivating living material (as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media
  12. a product of such cultivation

culture ['kəlch-riŋ, 'kəl-chə-] -vt

  1. cultivate
  2. to grow in a prepared medium
  3. to start a culture from

cultured -adj

  1. cultivated
  2. produced under artificial conditions
    • cultured viruses
    • cultured pearls

culture shock -n

  1. a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation

cul·tus ['kəl-təs] -n

  1. cult

cul·ver ['kəl-vər, 'ku̇l-] -n

  1. pigeon

cul·ver·in ['kəl-və-rən] -n

  1. : an early firearm:
  2. a rude musket
  3. a long cannon (as an 18-pounder) of the 16th and 17th centuries

cul·vert ['kəl-vərt] -n

  1. a transverse drain
  2. a conduit for a culvert
  3. a bridge over a culvert

cum ['ku̇m, 'kəm] -conj

  1. along with being : and used to form usu. hyphenated phrases
    • a credible mining camp elder- cum -publican -- G. B. Shaw
    • Christian and Christian- cum -voodoo churches -- David Binder
  2. cumulative

Cumb -abbr

  1. Cumbria

cum·ber ['kəm-bər] -vt

  1. trouble, harass
  2. to hinder or encumber by being in the way
    • cumber ed with heavy clothing
  3. to clutter up
    • rocks cumber ing the yard

cumber -n

  1. something that cumbers
  2. hindrance

cum·ber·some ['kəm-bər-səm] -adj, adv, n

  1. burdensome, troublesome
  2. unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk
  3. slow-moving : ponderous

cum·brous ['kəm-b(ə-)rəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. cumbersome

cum·in ['kə-mən, 'kyü-, 'kü-] -n

  1. a small annual herb ( Cuminum cyminum) of the carrot family cultivated for its aromatic fruits
  2. the seedlike fruit of cumin used as a spice

cum lau·de [ku̇m-'lau̇-də, -dē; ,kəm-'lȯ-dē] -adv or adj

  1. with distinction
    • graduated cum laude

cum·mer·bund ['kə-mər-,bənd, 'kəm-bər-] -n

  1. a broad waistband usu. worn in place of a vest with men's dress clothes and adapted in various styles of women's clothes

cum·shaw ['kəm-,shȯ] -n

  1. present, gratuity
  2. bribe, payoff

cumul- -comb form

  1. cumulus and
    • cumulo nimbus

cu·mu·late ['kyü-myə-,lāt] -vb, adj, n

  1. to gather or pile in a heap
  2. to combine into one
  3. to build up by addition of new material
  4. to become massed

cu·mu·la·tive ['kyü-myə-lə-tiv, -,lā-] -adj, adv, n

  1. made up of accumulated parts
  2. increasing by successive additions
  3. tending to prove the same point
    • cumulative evidence
  4. taking effect upon completion of another penal sentence
    • a cumulative sentence
  5. increasing in severity with repetition of the offense
    • cumulative penalty
  6. formed by the addition of new material of the same kind
    • a cumulative book index
  7. summing or integrating overall data or values of a random variable less than or less than or equal to a specified value
    • cumulative normal distribution
    • cumulative frequency distribution

cumulative distribution function -n

  1. a function that gives the probability that a random variable is less than or equal to the independent variable of the function

cu·mu·li·form ['kyü-myə-lə-,fȯrm] -adj

  1. of the form of a cumulus
    • cumuliform clouds

cu·mu·lo·nim·bus [-'nim-bəs] -n

  1. cumulus cloud having a low base and often spread out in the shape of an anvil extending to great heights

cu·mu·lous ['kyü-myə-ləs] -adj

  1. resembling cumulus

cu·mu·lus [-ləs] -n

  1. heap, accumulation
  2. a dense puffy cloud form having a flat base and rounded outlines often piled up like a mountain

cunc·ta·tion [,kəŋ(k)-'tā-shən] -n, adj

  1. delay

cu·ne·ate ['kyü-nē-,āt, -ət] -adj

  1. narrowly triangular with the acute angle toward the base

cu·ne·i·form [kyü-'nē-ə-,fȯrm, 'kyü-n(ē-)ə-] -adj

  1. having the shape of a wedge
  2. composed of or written in wedge-shaped characters
    • cuneiform syllabary

cuneiform -n

  1. a cuneiform part
  2. a cuneiform bone or cartilage
  3. cuneiform writing

cun·ner ['kə-nər] -n

  1. : either of two wrasses:
  2. a European wrasse ( Crenilabrus melops)
  3. a wrasse ( Tautogolabrus adspersus) common along the northeastern U.S. and adjacent Canadian coast

cun·ni·lin·gus [,kə-ni-'liŋ-gəs] -n

  1. oral stimulation of the vulva or clitoris

cun·ning ['kə-niŋ] -adj, adv, n

  1. dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end
    • a cunning plotter
  2. displaying keen insight
    • a cunning observation
  3. characterized by wiliness and trickery
    • cunning schemes
  4. prettily appealing : cute
    • a cunning little kitten

cunning -n

  1. knowledge, learning
  2. magic art
  3. dexterous skill and subtlety (as in inventing, devising, or executing)
    • high-ribbed vault...with perfect cunning framed -- William Wordsworth
  4. craft, slyness

cunt ['kənt] -n

  1. the female genital organs
  2. sexual intercourse with a woman
  3. woman

cup ['kəp] -n, adj

  1. an open usu. bowl-shaped drinking vessel
  2. a drinking vessel and its contents
  3. the consecrated wine of the Communion
  4. something that falls to one's lot
  5. an ornamental cup offered as a prize (as in a championship)
  6. : something resembling a cup: as
  7. a cup-shaped plant organ
  8. an athletic supporter reinforced usu. with plastic to provide extra protection to the wearer
  9. either of two parts of a brassiere that are shaped like and fit over the breasts
  10. the metal case inside a hole in golf
  11. the hole itself
  12. a usu. iced beverage resembling punch but served from a pitcher rather than a bowl
  13. a half pint : eight fluid ounces
  14. a food served in a cup-shaped usu. footed vessel
    • a fruit cup
  15. the symbol indicating the union of two sets
  16. to treat by cupping
  17. to curve into the shape of a cup
    • cupped his hands around his mouth
  18. to place in or as if in a cup

cup·bear·er ['kəp-,ber-ər] -n

  1. one who has the duty of filling and handing around the cups in which wine is served

cup·board ['kə-bərd] -n

  1. a closet with shelves where dishes, utensils, or food is kept
  2. a small closet

cup·cake ['kəp-,kāk] -n

  1. a small cake baked in a cuplike mold

cu·pel [kyü-'pel, 'kyü-pəl] -n

  1. a small shallow porous cup esp. of bone ash used in assaying to separate precious metals from lead

cupel -vt, n

  1. to refine by means of a cupel

cu·pel·la·tion [,kyü-pə-'lā-shən, -,pe-] -n

  1. refinement (as of gold or silver) in a cupel by exposure to high temperature in a blast of air by which the unwanted metals are oxidized

cup·ful ['kəp-,fu̇l] -n

  1. as much as a cup will hold
  2. cup

cup fungus -n

  1. any of an order (Pezizales) of mostly saprophytic ascomycetous fungi with a fleshy or horny apothecium that is often colored and typically shaped like a cup, saucer, or disk

Cu·pid ['kyü-pəd] -n

  1. the Roman god of erotic love
  2. a figure that represents Cupid as a naked usu. winged boy often holding a bow and arrow

cu·pid·i·ty [kyu̇-'pi-də-tē] -n

  1. inordinate desire for wealth : avarice, greed
  2. strong desire : lust

Cupid's bow -n

  1. a bow that consists of two convex curves usu. with recurved ends

cup of tea

  1. something one likes or excels in
    • I see already that storytelling isn't my cup of tea -- John Barth
  2. a person suited to one's taste
  3. a thing to be reckoned with : matter
    • poltergeists are a different cup of tea -- D. B. W. Lewis

cu·po·la ['kyü-pə-lə, ÷-,lō] -n, adj

  1. a rounded vault resting on a usu. circular base and forming a roof or a ceiling
  2. a small structure built on top of a roof
  3. a vertical cylindrical furnace for melting iron in the foundry that has tuyeres and tapping spouts near the bottom
  4. a raised observation post in the roof of a railroad caboose

cup·pa ['kə-pə] -n

  1. a cup of tea

cup·ping -n

  1. an operation of drawing blood to the surface of the body by use of a glass vessel evacuated by heat

cup·py ['kə-pē] -adj

  1. resembling a cup
  2. full of small depressions
    • a cuppy racetrack

cupr- -comb form

  1. copper
    • cupri ferous
  2. copper and
    • cupro nickel

cu·pric ['kyü-prik, 'kü-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or containing copper with a valence of two

cu·prif·er·ous [kyü-'pri-f(ə-)rəs, kü-] -adj

  1. containing copper

cu·prite ['kyü-,prīt, 'kü-] -n

  1. a red mineral consisting of copper oxide that is a minor ore of copper

cu·pro·nick·el [,kyü-prō-'ni-kəl, ,kü-] -n

  1. an alloy of copper and nickel
  2. one containing about 70 percent copper and 30 percent nickel

cu·prous ['kyü-prəs, 'kü-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or containing copper with a valence of one

cu·pu·late ['kyü-pyə-,lāt, -lət] -adj

  1. shaped like, having, or bearing a cupule

cu·pule ['kyü-(,)pyül] -n

  1. : a cup-shaped anatomical structure: as
  2. an involucre characteristic of the oak in which the bracts are indurated and coherent
  3. an outer integument partially enclosing the seed of some seed ferns

cur ['kər] -n

  1. a mongrel or inferior dog
  2. a surly or cowardly fellow
  3. currency
  4. current

cur·able ['kyu̇r-ə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being cured
    • a curable illness

cu·ra·ao ['kyu̇r-ə-,sō, -,sau̇, 'ku̇r-; ,k(y)u̇r-ə-'] -n

  1. a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the sour orange

cu·ra·cy ['kyu̇r-ə-sē] -n

  1. the office or term of office of a curate

cu·ra·re [kyu̇-'rär-ē, ku̇-] -n

  1. a dried aqueous extract esp. of a vine (as Strychnos toxiferaof the family Loganiaceae or Chondodendron tomentosumof the family Menispermaceae) used by So. American Indians to poison arrow tips and in medicine to produce muscular relaxation

cu·ra·rize [-'rär-,īz] -vt, n

  1. to treat with curare

cu·ras·sow ['kyu̇r-ə-,sō, 'ku̇r-] -n

  1. any of several large arboreal gallinaceous game birds (family Cracidae, esp. genus Crax) of So. and Central America

cu·rate ['kyu̇r-ət also 'kyu̇r-,āt] -n

  1. a clergyman in charge of a parish
  2. a clergyman serving as assistant (as to a rector) in a parish
  3. to act as curator of
    • curate a museum
    • an exhibit curated by the museum's director

curate's egg -n

  1. something with both good and bad parts or qualities

cu·ra·tive ['kyu̇r-ə-tiv] -adj, n, adv

  1. relating to or used in the cure of diseases : tending to cure

cu·ra·tor ['kyu̇r-,ā-tər, kyu̇-'rā-, 'kyu̇r-ə-] -n, adj

  1. one who has the care and superintendence of something
  2. one in charge of a museum, zoo, or other place of exhibit

curb ['kərb] -n

  1. a bit that exerts severe pressure on a horse's jaws
  2. the chain or strap attached to it
  3. an enclosing frame, border, or edging
  4. check, restraint
    • a price curb
  5. a raised edge or margin to strengthen or confine
  6. an edging (as of concrete) built along a street to form part of a gutter
  7. a market for trading in securities not listed on a stock exchange
  8. to furnish with a curb
  9. to check or control with or as if with a curb
    • trying to curb her curiosity
  10. to lead (a dog) to a suitable place (as a gutter) for defecation

curb appeal -n

  1. the visual attractiveness of a house as seen from the street

curb·ing ['kər-biŋ] -n

  1. the material for a curb
  2. curb

curb service -n

  1. service extended (as by a restaurant) to persons sitting in parked automobiles

curb·side ['kərb-,sīd] -n

  1. the side of a pavement bordered by a curb
  2. sidewalk

curb·stone [-,stōn] -n

  1. a stone or edging of concrete forming a curb

curbstone -adj

  1. operating on the street without maintaining an office
    • a curbstone broker
  2. not having the benefit of training or experience
    • a curbstone critic

curb weight -n

  1. the weight of an automobile with standard equipment and fuel, oil, and coolant

curch ['kərch] -n

  1. kerchief

cur·cu·lio [(,)kər-'kyü-lē-,ō] -n

  1. any of various weevils
  2. one that injures fruit

cur·cu·min ['kər-kyə-mən] -n

  1. an orange-yellow crystalline compound C 21H 20O 6that constitutes the chief coloring principle of turmeric

curd ['kərd] -n, adj

  1. the thick casein-rich part of coagulated milk
  2. something suggesting the curd of milk
  3. coagulate, curdle

cur·dle ['kər-dᵊl] -vb

  1. to form curds
  2. to congeal as if by forming curds
    • a scream curdled in her throat
  3. to go bad or wrong : spoil
  4. to cause curds to form in
    • curdled milk
  5. spoil, sour

cure ['kyu̇r] -n, adj

  1. spiritual charge : care
  2. pastoral charge of a parish
  3. recovery or relief from a disease
  4. something (as a drug or treatment) that cures a disease
  5. a course or period of treatment
    • take the cure for alcoholism
  6. spa
  7. a complete or permanent solution or remedy
    • seeking a cure for unemployment
  8. a process or method of curing
  9. to restore to health, soundness, or normality
  10. to bring about recovery from
    • cure a disease
  11. to deal with in a way that eliminates or rectifies
    • his small size, which time would cure for him -- William Faulkner
  12. to free from something objectionable or harmful
    • trying to cure him of a bad habit
  13. to prepare or alter esp. by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use
    • fish cured with salt
  14. to undergo a curing process
  15. set
  16. to effect a cure

cu·re [kyu̇-'rā, 'kyu̇r-,ā] -n

  1. a parish priest

cureall ['kyu̇r-,ȯl] -n

  1. a remedy for all ills : panacea

cu·ret·tage [,kyu̇r-ə-'täzh] -n

  1. a surgical scraping or cleaning by means of a curette

cu·rette [kyu̇-'ret] -n

  1. a surgical instrument that has a scoop, ring, or loop at the tip and is used in performing curettage

curette [kyu̇-'ret-mənt] -vt, n

  1. to perform curettage on

cur·few ['kər-(,)fyü] -n

  1. the sounding of a bell at evening
  2. a regulation enjoining the withdrawal of usu. specified persons (as juveniles or military personnel) from the streets or the closing of business establishments or places of assembly at a stated hour
  3. a signal to announce the beginning of a curfew
  4. the hour at which a curfew becomes effective
  5. the period during which a curfew is in effect

cu·ria ['kyu̇r-ē-ə, 'ku̇r-] -n, adj

  1. a division of the ancient Roman people comprising several gentes of a tribe
  2. the place of assembly of one of these divisions
  3. the court of a medieval king
  4. a court of justice
  5. the body of congregations, tribunals, and offices through which the pope governs the Roman Catholic Church

cu·rie ['kyu̇r-(,)ē, kyu̇-'rē] -n

  1. a unit quantity of any radioactive nuclide in which 3.7 10 10disintegrations occur per second
  2. a unit of radioactivity equal to 3.7 10 10disintegrations per second

Curie point -n

  1. the temperature at which there is a transition between the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases
  2. a temperature at which the anomalies that characterize a ferroelectric substance disappear called also Curie temperature

cu·rio ['kyu̇r-ē-,ō] -n

  1. something (as a decorative object) considered novel, rare, or bizarre : curiosity
  2. an unusual or bizarre person

cu·ri·o·sa [,kyu̇r-ē-'ō-sə, -'ō-zə] -n pl

  1. curiosities, rarities
  2. unusual or erotic books

cu·ri·os·i·ty [,kyu̇r-ē-'ä-s(ə-)tē] -n

  1. : desire to know:
  2. inquisitive interest in others' concerns : nosiness
  3. interest leading to inquiry
    • intellectual curiosity
  4. undue nicety or fastidiousness
  5. one that arouses interest esp. for uncommon or exotic characteristics
  6. an unusual knickknack : curio
  7. a curious trait or aspect

cu·ri·ous ['kyu̇r-ē-əs] -adj, n

  1. made carefully
  2. abstruse
  3. precisely accurate
  4. marked by desire to investigate and learn
  5. marked by inquisitive interest in others' concerns : nosy
  6. exciting attention as strange, novel, or unexpected : odd
    • a curious coincidence

cu·ri·ous·ly [-lē] -adv

  1. in a curious manner
    • seemed curiously calm
  2. as is curious
    • curiously, he continues to win reelection

cu·ri·um ['kyu̇r-ē-əm] -n

  1. a metallic radioactive element produced artificially

curl ['kər(-ə)l] -vb

  1. to form (as the hair) into coils or ringlets
  2. to form into a curved shape : twist
    • curl ed his lip in a sneer
  3. to furnish with curls
  4. to grow in coils or spirals
  5. to form ripples or crinkles
    • bacon curl ing in a pan
  6. to move or progress in curves or spirals : wind
    • the path curl ed along the mountainside
  7. twist, contort
  8. to play the game of curling
  9. a lock of hair that coils : ringlet
  10. something having a spiral or winding form : coil
  11. the action of curling : the state of being curled
  12. a curved or spiral marking in the grain of wood
  13. a hollow arch of water formed when the crest of a breaking wave spills forward
  14. a usu. short pass pattern in football in which a receiver runs downfield and then curves back toward the line of scrimmage
  15. a body-building exercise in which a weight held with the palms facing up is raised and lowered by flexing only the wrists or elbows

curl·er ['kər-lər] -n

  1. a player of curling
  2. one that curls
  3. a device on which hair is wound for curling

cur·lew ['kər-(,)lü, 'kərl-(,)yü] -n

  1. any of various largely brownish chiefly migratory birds (esp. genus Numenius) having long legs and a long slender down-curved bill and related to the sandpipers and snipes

cur·li·cue ['kər-lē-,kyü, -li-] -n

  1. a fancifully curved or spiral figure : flourish

curlicue -vb

  1. to form curlicues
  2. to embellish with curlicues

curl·ing ['kər-liŋ] -n

  1. a game in which two teams of four players each slide curling stones over a stretch of ice toward a target circle

curling iron -n

  1. a rod-shaped usu. metal instrument which is heated and around which a lock of hair to be curled or waved is wound

curling stone -n

  1. an ellipsoid stone or occas. piece of iron with a gooseneck handle used in the game of curling

curl·pa·per ['kər(-ə)l-,pā-pər] -n

  1. a strip or piece of paper around which a lock of hair is wound for curling

curl up -vi

  1. to arrange oneself in or as if in a ball or curl
    • curl up by the fire
    • curl up with a good book

curly ['kər-lē] -adj, n

  1. tending to curl
  2. having curls
    • curly hair
  3. having the grain composed of fibers that undulate without crossing and that often form alternating light and dark lines
    • curly maple

curlycoat·ed retriever ['kər-lē-'kō-təd-] -n

  1. any of a breed of sporting dogs with a short curly black or liver-colored coat

curly endive -n

  1. frisee

curly top -n

  1. a destructive plant disease of beets caused by a single-stranded DNA virus (species Beet curly top virusof the genus Curtovirus,family Geminiviridae) that kills young plants and causes curling and puckering of the leaves in older plants

cur·mud·geon [(,)kər-'mə-jən] -n, adj

  1. miser
  2. a crusty, ill-tempered, and usu. old man

curr ['kər] -vi

  1. to make a murmuring sound (as of doves)

cur·ragh ['kə-rə, -rək̲] -n

  1. a usu. large coracle used esp. on the west coast of Ireland

cur·rant ['kər-ənt, 'kə-rənt] -n

  1. a small seedless raisin grown chiefly in the Levant
  2. the acid edible fruit of various shrubs (genus Ribes) placed in either the saxifrage or gooseberry family
  3. a plant bearing currants

cur·ren·cy ['kər-ən(t)-sē, 'kə-rən(t)-] -n

  1. circulation as a medium of exchange
  2. general use, acceptance, or prevalence
    • a story gaining currency
  3. the quality or state of being current : currentness
  4. something (as coins, treasury notes, and banknotes) that is in circulation as a medium of exchange
  5. paper money in circulation
  6. a common article for bartering
  7. a medium of verbal or intellectual expression

cur·rent ['kər-ənt, 'kə-rənt] -adj, adv, n

  1. running, flowing
  2. presently elapsing
    • the current year
  3. occurring in or existing at the present time
    • the current crisis
  4. most recent
    • the magazine's current issue
  5. used as a medium of exchange
  6. generally accepted, used, practiced, or prevalent at the moment
    • current fashions

current -n

  1. the part of a fluid body (as air or water) moving continuously in a certain direction
  2. the swiftest part of a stream
  3. a tidal or nontidal movement of lake or ocean water
  4. flow marked by force or strength
  5. a tendency or course of events that is usu. the result of an interplay of forces
    • current s of public opinion
  6. a prevailing mood : strain
  7. a flow of electric charge
  8. the rate of such flow

current assets -n pl

  1. assets of a short-term nature that are readily convertible to cash

cur·ri·cle ['kər-i-kəl, 'kə-ri-] -n

  1. a 2-wheeled chaise usu. drawn by two horses

cur·ric·u·lar [kə-'ri-kyə-lər] -adj

  1. of or relating to a curriculum

cur·ric·u·lum [-ləm] -n

  1. the courses offered by an educational institution
  2. a set of courses constituting an area of specialization

cur·ric·u·lum vi·tae [kə-'ri-kyə-ləm-'vē-,tī, -kə-ləm-, -'wē-,tī, -'vī-,tē] -n

  1. a short account of one's career and qualifications prepared typically by an applicant for a position

cur·ri·ery ['kər-ē-ə-rē, 'kə-rē-] -n

  1. the trade of a currier of leather
  2. a place where currying is done

cur·rish ['kər-ish] -adj, adv

  1. ignoble
  2. resembling a cur : mongrel

cur·ry ['kər-ē, 'kə-rē] -vt, n

  1. to clean the coat of (as a horse) with a currycomb
  2. to treat (tanned leather) esp. by incorporating oil or grease
  3. beat, thrash
  4. a food, dish, or sauce in Indian cuisine seasoned with a mixture of pungent spices
  5. a food or dish seasoned with curry powder
  6. curry powder

curry -vt

  1. to flavor or cook with curry powder or a curry sauce

cur·ry·comb [-,kōm] -n, vt

  1. a comb made of rows of metallic teeth or serrated ridges and used esp. to curry horses

curry powder -n

  1. a condiment consisting of several pungent ground spices (as cayenne pepper, fenugreek, and turmeric)

curse ['kərs] -n

  1. a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one : imprecation
  2. something that is cursed or accursed
  3. evil or misfortune that comes as if in response to imprecation or as retribution
  4. a cause of great harm or misfortune : torment
  5. menstruation used with the
  6. to use profanely insolent language against : blaspheme
    • curse God and die -- Job 2:9(REB)
  7. to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon
    • was cursed and fears he will die
  8. to execrate in fervent and often profane terms
    • cursed by future generations unless we act now
  9. to bring great evil upon : afflict
    • a land cursed with famine
  10. to utter imprecations : swear
    • cursing loudly

cursed ['kər-səd, 'kərst] -adj, adv, n

  1. being under or deserving a curse

cur·sive ['kər-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. : running, coursing: as
  2. flowing often with the strokes of successive characters joined and the angles rounded
  3. having a flowing, easy, impromptu character

cursive -n

  1. a manuscript written in cursive writing
  2. cursive writing
  3. a style of printed letter resembling handwriting

cur·sor ['kər-sər, -,sȯr] -n

  1. : a movable item used to mark a position: as
  2. a transparent slide with a line attached to a slide rule
  3. a visual cue (as a flashing rectangle) on a video display that indicates position (as for data entry)

cur·so·ri·al [,kər-'sȯr-ē-əl] -adj

  1. adapted to or involving running

cur·so·ry ['kərs-rē, 'kər-sə-] -adj, adv, n

  1. rapidly and often superficially performed or produced : hasty
    • a cursory glance

curt ['kərt] -adj, adv, n

  1. sparing of words : terse
    • wrote curt precise sentences
  2. marked by rude or peremptory shortness : brusque
    • a curt refusal
  3. shortened in linear dimension

cur·tail [(,)kər-'tāl] -vt, n

  1. to make less by or as if by cutting off or away some part
    • curtail the power of the executive branch
    • curtail inflation

cur·tail·ment [-'tāl-mənt] -n

  1. the act of curtailing : the state of being curtailed

cur·tain ['kər-tᵊn] -n, adj

  1. a hanging screen usu. capable of being drawn back or up
  2. window drapery
  3. a device or agency that conceals or acts as a barrier
  4. the part of a bastioned front that connects two neighboring bastions
  5. a similar stretch of plain wall
  6. a nonbearing exterior wall
  7. the movable screen separating the stage from the auditorium of a theater
  8. the ascent or opening (as at the beginning of a play) of a stage curtain
  9. its descent or closing (as at the end of an act)
  10. the final situation, line, or scene of an act or play
  11. the time at which a theatrical performance begins
  12. end
  13. death
    • it will be curtain s for us if we're caught

curtain ['kərt-niŋ, -'kər-tᵊn-iŋ] -vt

  1. to furnish with or as if with curtains
  2. to veil or shut off with or as if with a curtain

curtain call -n

  1. an appearance by a performer (as after the final curtain of a play) in response to the applause of the audience

curtain lecture -n

  1. a private lecture by a wife to her husband

cur·tainrais·er ['kər-tᵊn-,rā-zər] -n

  1. a short play usu. of one scene that is presented before the main full-length drama
  2. a usu. short preliminary to a main event

curtain wall -n

  1. a nonbearing exterior wall between columns or piers

cur·tal ['kər-tᵊl] -adj

  1. having a docked tail
  2. brief, curtailed
  3. wearing a short frock

cur·tal ax ['kər-tᵊl-] -n

  1. cutlass

cur·te·sy ['kər-tə-sē] -n

  1. a husband's interest upon the death of his wife in the real property of an estate that she either solely owned or inherited provided they bore a child capable of inheriting the estate

cur·ti·lage ['kər-tə-lij] -n

  1. a piece of ground (as a yard or courtyard) within the fence surrounding a house

curt·sy -n

  1. an act of civility, respect, or reverence made mainly by women and consisting of a slight lowering of the body with bending of the knees

curtsy ['kərt-sē] -vi

  1. to make a curtsy

cu·rule ['kyu̇r-,ül] -adj

  1. relating to or being a high-ranking dignitary of ancient Rome entitled to occupy a special chair
  2. of, relating to, or being a chair or seat reserved for Romans of high rank that resembles a backless stool with curved legs
  3. of, relating to, or being a 19th century seat with legs of a similar style

cur·va·ceous [,kər-'vā-shəs] -adj

  1. having or suggesting the curves of a well-proportioned feminine figure
    • a curvaceous actress
  2. having a smoothly curving shape
    • a curvaceous coastline

cur·va·ture ['kər-və-,chu̇r, -chər, -,tyu̇r, -,tu̇r] -n

  1. the act of curving : the state of being curved
  2. a measure or amount of curving
  3. the rate of change of the angle through which the tangent to a curve turns in moving along the curve and which for a circle is equal to the reciprocal of the radius
  4. an abnormal curving (as of the spine)
  5. a curved surface of an organ

curve ['kərv] -adj

  1. bent or formed into a curve
  2. to have or take a turn, change, or deviation from a straight line or plane surface without sharp breaks or angularity
  3. to cause to curve
  4. to throw a curveball to (a batter)
  5. to grade (as an examination) on a curve
  6. : a line esp. when curved: as
  7. the path of a moving point
  8. a line defined by an equation so that the coordinates of its points are functions of a single independent variable or parameter
  9. the graph of a variable
  10. : something curved: as
  11. a curving line of the human body
  12. parenthesis
  13. curveball
  14. trick, deception
  15. a distribution indicating the relative performance of individuals measured against each other that is used esp. in assigning good, medium, or poor grades to usu. predetermined proportions of students rather than in assigning grades based on predetermined standards of achievement
  16. trend
    • a growth curve in advertising revenues
  17. a prevalent trend or rate of progress often used in the phrases ahead of the curve and behind the curve
    • companies that are behind the curve in adopting new technologies

curve·ball ['kərv-,bȯl] -n, vb

  1. a slow or moderately fast baseball pitch thrown with spin to make it swerve downward and usu. to the left when thrown from the right hand or to the right when thrown from the left hand

curve fitting -n

  1. the empirical determination of a curve or function that approximates a set of data

cur·vet [(,)kər-'vet] -n

  1. a prancing leap of a horse in which the hind legs are raised just before the forelegs touch the ground

curvet -vi

  1. to make a curvet
  2. prance, caper

cur·vi·lin·ear [,kər-və-'li-nē-ər] -adj, n

  1. consisting of or bounded by curved lines : represented by a curved line
  2. marked by flowing tracery
    • curvilinear Gothic

cush·at ['kə-shət] -n

  1. wood pigeon

cu·shaw [ku̇-'shȯ, 'kü-,] -n

  1. a squash of any of several cultivars of winter squash ( Cucurbita argyrospermasyn. C. mixtaand C. moschata)

Cush·ing's disease ['ku̇-shiŋz-] -n

  1. Cushing's syndrome esp. when caused by excessive production of ACTH by the pituitary gland

Cushing's syndrome -n

  1. an abnormal bodily condition that is caused by excess corticosteroids and esp. cortisol usu. from adrenal or pituitary hyperfunction and is characterized esp. by obesity, hypertension, muscular weakness, and easy bruising

cush·ion ['ku̇-shən] -n, adj

  1. a soft pillow or pad usu. used for sitting, reclining, or kneeling
  2. a bodily part resembling a pad
  3. : something resembling a cushion: as
  4. pillow
  5. rat
  6. a pad of springy rubber along the inside of the rim of a billiard table
  7. a padded insert in a shoe
  8. an elastic body for reducing shock
  9. a mat laid under a large rug to ease the effect of wear
  10. something (as an economic factor or a medical procedure) serving to mitigate the effects of disturbances or disorders
  11. a reserve supply (as of money)
  12. a comfortable lead
    • a 40 cushion in the ninth inning

cushion ['ku̇-sh(ə-)niŋ] -vt

  1. to seat or place on a cushion
  2. to suppress by ignoring
  3. to furnish with a cushion
    • a cushion ed seat
  4. to mitigate the effects of
    • trying to cushion the blow
  5. to protect against force or shock
    • cushion the ride
  6. to check gradually so as to minimize shock of moving parts

Cush·it·ic [kə-'shi-tik, ku̇-] -n, adj

  1. a subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic language family comprising various languages spoken in eastern Africa and esp. in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya

cushy ['ku̇-shē] -adj, adv

  1. entailing little hardship or difficulty
    • a cushy job with a high salary

cusk ['kəsk] -n

  1. a large edible No. Atlantic fish ( Brosme brosme) of the cod family
  2. burbot

cusp ['kəsp] -n, adj

  1. : point, apex: as
  2. a point of transition (as from one historical period to the next) : turning point
  3. edge, verge
    • on the cusp of stardom
  4. either horn of a crescent moon
  5. a fixed point on a mathematical curve at which a point tracing the curve would exactly reverse its direction of motion
  6. an ornamental pointed projection formed by or arising from the intersection of two arcs or foils
  7. a point on the grinding surface of a tooth
  8. a fold or flap of a cardiac valve

cus·pid ['kəs-pəd] -n

  1. canine

cus·pi·date ['kəs-pə-,dāt] -adj

  1. having a cusp : terminating in a point
    • a cuspidate leaf
    • cuspidate molars

cus·pi·da·tion [,kəs-pə-'dā-shən] -n

  1. decoration with cusps

cus·pi·dor ['kəs-pə-,dȯr] -n

  1. spittoon

cuss ['kəs] -n

  1. curse
  2. curse
  3. fellow
  4. curse often used with out
    • got cuss ed out by his boss
  5. curse

cuss·ed ['kə-səd] -adj, adv, n

  1. cursed
  2. obstinate, cantankerous

cuss·word ['kəs-,wərd] -n

  1. swearword
  2. a term of abuse : a derogatory term

cus·tard ['kəs-tərd] -n, adj

  1. a pudding-like usu. sweetened mixture made with eggs and milk

custard apple -n

  1. any of several chiefly tropical American soft-fleshed edible fruits
  2. any of a genus ( Annonaof the family Annonaceae, the custard-apple family) of trees or shrubs bearing this fruit
  3. a small West Indian tree ( A. reticulata)
  4. pawpaw

cus·to·di·al [,kəs-'tō-dē-əl] -adj

  1. relating to guardianship
  2. relating to, providing, or being protective care or services for basic needs
    • nursing and custodial care
  3. having sole or primary custody of a child
    • the custodial parent

cus·to·di·an [,kəs-'tō-dē-ən] -n

  1. one that guards and protects or maintains
  2. one entrusted with guarding and keeping property or records or with custody or guardianship of prisoners or inmates

cus·to·dy ['kəs-tə-dē] -n

  1. immediate charge and control (as over a ward or a suspect) exercised by a person or an authority
  2. safekeeping

cus·tom ['kəs-təm] -n

  1. a usage or practice common to many or to a particular place or class or habitual with an individual
  2. long-established practice considered as unwritten law
  3. repeated practice
  4. the whole body of usages, practices, or conventions that regulate social life
  5. duties, tolls, or imposts imposed by the sovereign law of a country on imports or exports
  6. the agency, establishment, or procedure for collecting such customs
  7. business patronage
  8. usu. habitual patrons : customers

custom -adj

  1. made or performed according to personal order
  2. specializing in custom work or operation
    • a custom tailor

cus·tom·ary ['kəs-tə-,mer-ē, -,me-rē] -adj, adv, n

  1. based on or established by custom
  2. commonly practiced, used, or observed

cus·tombuilt ['kəs-təm-'bilt] -adj

  1. built to individual specifications
    • a custombuilt house

cus·tom·er ['kəs-tə-mər] -n

  1. one that purchases a commodity or service
  2. an individual usu. having some specified distinctive trait
    • a real tough customer

cus·tom·house ['kəs-təm-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a building where customs and duties are paid or collected and where vessels are entered and cleared

cus·tom·ise ['kəs-tə-,mīz] -vt, adj, n

(variant of customize)

  1. to build, fit, or alter according to individual specifications

cus·tom·ize ['kəs-tə-,mīz] -vt, adj, n

  1. to build, fit, or alter according to individual specifications

cus·tommade ['kəs-tə(m)-'mād] -adj

  1. made to individual specifications
    • custommade clothing

cus·tomtai·lor [-'tā-lər] -vt

  1. to alter, plan, or build according to individual specifications or needs

cut ['kət] -vb

  1. to penetrate with or as if with an edged instrument
  2. to hurt the feelings of
  3. to strike sharply with a cutting effect
  4. to strike (a ball) with a glancing blow that imparts a reverse spin
  5. to experience the growth of (a tooth) through the gum
  6. trim, pare
    • cut one's nails
  7. to shorten by omissions
    • cut the manuscript
  8. dilute, adulterate
    • cut the whiskey with water
  9. to reduce in amount
    • cut costs
  10. mow, reap
    • cut hay
  11. to divide into parts with an edged tool
    • cut bread
  12. fell, hew
  13. to separate or discharge from an organization
    • cut them from the team
  14. to single out and isolate
    • cut a calf out from the herd
  15. to turn (as a steering wheel) sharply
    • the driver cut the wheel hard
  16. to go or pass around or about : bypass
    • cut the checkout line
  17. to divide into segments
    • cut the cake
  18. intersect, cross
    • one line cutting another
  19. break, interrupt
    • cut our supply lines
  20. to divide (a deck of cards) into two portions
  21. to draw (a card) from the deck
  22. to divide into shares : split
  23. analyze, break down
    • any way you cut it, we won
  24. : to make by or as if by cutting: as
  25. carve
    • cut stone
  26. to shape by grinding
    • cut a diamond
  27. engrave
  28. to shear or hollow out
    • cut a groove
  29. to sing, play, or act for the recording of
    • cut an album
    • cut a commercial
  30. to sing or play (as a song or a track) for a studio recording
  31. to type on a stencil
  32. edit
    • cut a motion picture
  33. stop, cease
    • cut the nonsense
  34. to refuse to recognize (an acquaintance)
    • they cut her dead at the party
  35. to absent oneself from (as a class)
  36. to stop (a motor) by opening a switch
  37. to stop the filming of (a motion-picture scene)
  38. to engage in (a frolicsome or mischievous action)
    • on summer nights strange capers are cut under the thin guise of a Christian festival -- D. C. Peattie
  39. to give the appearance or impression of
    • cut a fine figure
  40. to be able to manage or handle usu. used in negative constructions
    • can't cut that kind of work anymore
  41. to yield or accord to another : give
    • cut me some slack
  42. to fill out and sign (a check)
  43. to function as or as if as an edged tool
  44. to undergo incision or severance
    • cheese cut s easily
  45. to perform the operation of dividing, severing, incising, or intersecting
  46. to make a stroke with a whip, sword, or other weapon
  47. to wound feelings or sensibilities
  48. to cause constriction or chafing
  49. to be of effect, influence, or significance
    • an analysis that cut s deep
  50. to divide a pack of cards esp. in order to decide the deal or settle a bet
  51. to draw a card from the pack
  52. to divide spoils : split
  53. to proceed obliquely from a straight course
    • cut across the yard
  54. to move swiftly
    • a yacht cutting through the water
  55. to describe an oblique or diagonal line
  56. to change sharply in direction : swerve
  57. to make an abrupt transition from one sound or image to another in motion pictures, radio, or television
  58. to make a sudden transition or imaginative leap
    • the story cut s to 1917
  59. to stop photographing motion pictures
  60. to advance by skipping or bypassing another
    • cut to the front of the line
  61. : a product of cutting: as
  62. an opening made with an edged instrument
  63. a wound made by something sharp : gash
  64. a creek, channel, or inlet made by excavation or worn by natural action
  65. a surface or outline left by cutting
  66. a passage cut as a roadway
  67. a grade or step esp. in a social scale
    • a cut above the ordinary
  68. a subset of a set such that when it is subtracted from the set the remainder is not connected
  69. a pictorial illustration
  70. track
  71. : the act or an instance of cutting: as
  72. a gesture or expression that hurts the feelings
    • made an unkind cut
  73. a straight passage or course
  74. a stroke or blow with the edge of a knife or other edged tool
  75. a lash with or as if with a whip
  76. the act of reducing or removing a part
    • a cut in pay
  77. an act or turn of cutting cards
  78. the result of cutting
  79. the elimination of part of a large field from further participation, consideration, or competition (as in a golf tournament) often used with miss or make to denote respectively being or not being among those eliminated
    • played well and made the cut
  80. : something that is cut or cut off: as
  81. a length of cloth varying from 40 to 100 yards (36.6 to 91.4 meters)
  82. the yield of products cut esp. during one harvest
  83. a segment or section of a meat carcass or a part of one
  84. a group of animals selected from a herd
  85. share
    • took his cut of the profits
  86. a voluntary absence from a class
  87. a stroke that cuts a ball
  88. the spin imparted by such a stroke
  89. a swing by a batter at a pitched baseball
  90. an exchange of captures in checkers
  91. : a result of editing: as
  92. an abrupt transition from one sound or image to another in motion pictures, radio, or television
  93. an edited version of a film
  94. the shape and style in which a thing is cut, formed, or made
    • clothes of the latest cut
  95. pattern, type
  96. haircut
  97. marked by a well-developed and highly defined musculature
    • cut abs

cut·abil·i·ty [,kə-tə-'bi-lə-tē] -n

  1. the proportion of lean salable meat yielded by a carcass

cutanddried [,kət-ᵊn-'drīd] -adj

  1. being or done according to a plan, set procedure, or formula : routine
    • a cutanddried presentation

cutandpaste [-'pāst] -adj

  1. pieced together by excerpting and combining fragments from multiple sources
    • the book was a cutandpaste job

cutandtry [-'trī] -adj

  1. marked by trial and error
    • cutandtry methods
    • cutandtry testing

cu·ta·ne·ous [kyü-'tā-nē-əs] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or affecting the skin
    • a cutaneous nerve
    • cutaneous anthrax

cut·away ['kət-ə-,wā] -adj

  1. having or showing parts cut away
    • a cutaway drawing

cutaway -n

  1. a coat with skirts tapering from the front waistline to form tails at the back
  2. a cutaway picture or representation
  3. a shot that interrupts the main action of a film or television program to take up a related subject or to depict action supposed to be going on at the same time as the main action
  4. a back dive in which the head is lowered toward the board after the takeoff

cut·back ['kət-,bak] -n

  1. something cut back
  2. reduction
    • a cutback in funding

cut back -vt

  1. to shorten by cutting : prune
  2. to interrupt the sequence of a plot (as of a movie) by introducing events prior to those last presented
  3. cut down
    • cut back on sugar

cutch ['kəch] -n

  1. catechu

cut down -vt

  1. to strike down and kill or incapacitate
  2. knock down
  3. to remodel by removing extras or unwanted furnishings and fittings
  4. to remake in a smaller size
  5. to reduce or curtail volume or activity
    • cut down on smoking

cute ['kyüt] -adj, adv, n

  1. clever or shrewd often in an underhanded manner
  2. impertinent, smart-alecky
    • don't get cute with me
  3. attractive or pretty esp. in a childish, youthful, or delicate way
  4. obviously straining for effect
  5. the quality or state of being cute or cutesy
  6. an instance of cuteness or cutesiness usu. used in pl.
    • a movie suffering from a case of the cute s

cute·sy ['kyüt-sē] -adj, n

  1. self-consciously or excessively cute

cut glass -n

  1. glass ornamented with patterns cut into its surface by an abrasive wheel and polished

cutgrass ['kət-,gras] -n

  1. a grass (esp. genus Leersia) with minute hooked bristles along the edges of the leaf blade

cu·ti·cle ['kyü-ti-kəl] -n, adj

  1. : an outer covering layer: as
  2. an external envelope (as of an insect) secreted usu. by epidermal cells
  3. the outermost layer of animal integument composed of epidermis
  4. a thin continuous fatty or waxy film on the external surface of many higher plants that consists chiefly of cutin
  5. the outermost membranous layer of a hair consisting of overlapping scales of epithelial cells
  6. dead or horny epidermis

cut·ie ['kyü-tē] -n

  1. an attractive person
  2. a pretty girl

cutiepie [-,pī] -n

  1. a cute person : sweetheart

cu·tin ['kyü-tᵊn] -n

  1. an insoluble mixture containing waxes, fatty acids, soaps, and resinous material that forms a continuous layer on the outer epidermal wall of a plant

cutin ['kət-,in] -n, adj

  1. something cut in

cut in -vi

  1. to thrust oneself into a position between others or belonging to another
  2. to join in something suddenly
    • cut in on the conversation
  3. to interrupt a dancing couple and take one as one's partner
  4. to become automatically connected or started in operation
    • waiting for the auxiliary motor to cut in
  5. to mix with cutting motions
    • after sifting the flour into a mixing bowl, cut the lard in
  6. to introduce into a number, group, or sequence
  7. to connect into an electrical circuit to a mechanical apparatus so as to permit operation
  8. to include esp. among those benefiting or favored
    • cut them in on the profits

cu·tin·ized ['kyü-tᵊn-,īzd] -adj

  1. infiltrated with cutin

cu·tis ['kyü-təs] -n

  1. dermis

cut·lass ['kət-ləs] -n

  1. a short curving sword formerly used by sailors on warships
  2. machete

cut·ler ['kət-lər] -n

  1. one who makes, deals in, or repairs cutlery

cut·lery ['kət-lə-rē] -n

  1. the business of a cutler
  2. edged or cutting tools
  3. implements for cutting and eating food

cut·let ['kət-lət] -n

  1. a small slice of meat
    • a veal cutlet
  2. a flat croquette of chopped meat or fish

cut·line ['kət-,līn] -n

  1. caption, legend

cut·off ['kət-,ȯf] -n, adj

  1. the act or action of cutting off
  2. the new and relatively short channel formed when a stream cuts through the neck of an oxbow
  3. shortcut
  4. a channel made to straighten a stream
  5. a device for cutting off
  6. something cut off
  7. shorts orig. made from jeans with the legs cut off at the knees or higher
  8. the point, date, or period for a cutoff

cut off -vt

  1. to bring to an untimely end
  2. to stop the passage of
    • cut off communications
  3. shut off, bar
    • the river cut off their retreat
  4. discontinue, terminate
    • cut off a subscription
  5. separate, isolate
    • cut herself off from her family
  6. disinherit
    • threatened to cut him off without a penny
  7. to stop the operation of : turn off
    • cut off the engine
  8. to stop or interrupt while in communication
    • the operator cut me off
  9. to cease operating

cutoff man -n

  1. a player in baseball who relays a ball from an outfielder to the infield

cut·out ['kət-,au̇t] -n, adj

  1. something cut out or off from something else
  2. the space or hole left after cutting
  3. one that cuts out
  4. an intermediary in a clandestine operation
  5. a record album no longer in production that is sold at a discount

cut out -vt

  1. to form by erosion
  2. to determine or assign through necessity
    • you've got your work cut out for you
  3. to take the place of : supplant
  4. to put an end to : desist from
    • cut out wasteful spending
  5. deprive, defraud
    • cut him out of his share
  6. to remove from a series or circuit : disconnect
    • cut out a car from a train
  7. to make inoperative
  8. to depart in haste
  9. to cease operating
  10. to swerve out of a traffic line
  11. naturally fitted or suited
    • not cut out to be a vet

cut·over ['kət-'ō-vər] -adj

  1. having most of the salable timber cut down

cutprice [-'prīs] -adj

  1. cut-rate

cut·purse ['kət-,pərs] -n

  1. pickpocket

cutrate ['kət-'rāt] -adj

  1. marked by, offering, or making use of a reduced rate or price
    • cutrate stores
  2. second-rate, cheap

cut·ta·ble ['kə-tə-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of being cut : ready for cutting
    • cuttable timber

cut·ter ['kə-tər] -n

  1. : one that cuts:
  2. one whose work is cutting or involves cutting
  3. an instrument, machine, machine part, or tool that cuts
  4. a device for vibrating a cutting stylus in disc recording
  5. the stylus or its point
  6. a ship's boat for carrying stores or passengers
  7. a single-masted fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel
  8. a small armed vessel in government service
  9. a light sleigh

cut·throat ['kət-,thrōt] -n

  1. killer, murderer
  2. a cruel unprincipled person

cutthroat -adj

  1. murderous, cruel
  2. marked by unprincipled practices : ruthless
    • cutthroat competition
  3. characterized by each player playing independently rather than having a permanent partner used esp. of partnership games adapted for three players
    • cutthroat bridge

cutthroat contract -n

  1. contract bridge in which partnerships are determined by the bidding

cutthroat trout -n

  1. a large spotted trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkisyn. Salmo clarki) chiefly of northwestern No. America that has reddish streaks on the integument of the lower jaw called also cutthroat

cut time -n

  1. duple or quadruple time with the beat represented by a half note

cut·ting ['kə-tiŋ] -n

  1. : something cut or cut off or out: as
  2. a plant section originating from stem, leaf, or root and capable of developing into a new plant
  3. harvest
  4. something made by cutting
  5. record

cutting [-tiŋ-lē] -adj, adv

  1. given to or designed for cutting
  2. sharp, edged
  3. marked by sharp piercing cold
    • cutting winds
  4. inclined or likely to wound the feelings of others esp. because of a ruthless incisiveness
    • a cutting remark
  5. intense, piercing
    • a cutting pain

cutting board -n

  1. a board on which something (as food or cloth) is placed for cutting

cutting edge -n, adj

  1. a sharp effect or quality
  2. the foremost part or place : vanguard

cutting horse -n

  1. an agile saddle horse trained to separate individual animals from a cattle herd

cutting room -n

  1. a room where film or videotape is edited often used attributively in cutting-room floor to describe something removed or discarded in or as if in editing a film

cut·tle·bone ['kə-tᵊl-,bōn] -n

  1. the shell of a cuttlefish that is sometimes used for polishing powder or for supplying cage birds with lime and salts

cut·tle·fish [-,fish] -n

  1. any of various marine cephalopod mollusks (order Sepioidea, esp. genus Sepia) having eight short arms and two usu. longer tentacles and differing from the related squid in having a calcified internal shell

cut·ty sark ['kə-tē-'särk] -n

  1. a short garment
  2. a woman's short undergarment

cutty stool -n

  1. a low stool
  2. a seat in a Scottish church where offenders formerly sat for public rebuke

cut·up ['kət-,əp] -n

  1. a person who clowns or acts boisterously

cut up -vt

  1. to cut into parts or pieces
  2. to injure or damage by or as if by cutting : gash, slash
  3. to subject to hostile criticism : censure
  4. to undergo being cut up
  5. to behave in a comic, boisterous, or unruly manner : clown

cut·wa·ter ['kət-,wȯ-tər, -,wä-] -n

  1. the forepart of a ship's stem

cut·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. embroidery usu. on linen in which a design is outlined in buttonhole stitch and the enclosed material cut away

cut·worm [-,wərm] -n

  1. any of various smooth-bodied chiefly nocturnal noctuid moth caterpillars which often feed on young plant stems near ground level

cu·vee [kü-'vā, kyü-; kᵫ-vā] -n

  1. bulk wine
  2. wine in casks or vats so blended as to ensure uniformity and marketability
  3. a blend of still wines used in the production of champagne

cu·vette [kyü-'vet] -n

  1. a small often transparent laboratory vessel (as a tube)