16-letter words starting with c
- closed community — a plant community that does not allow for further colonization, all the available niches being occupied
- closed ecosystem — a self-replenishing ecosystem in which life can be maintained without external factors or outside aid.
- closed-captioned — (of a video recording) having subtitles which appear on screen only if the cassette is played through a special decoder
- closing argument — In a court case, a lawyer's closing argument is their final speech, in which they give a summary of their case.
- cluster headache — a type of recurrent headache characterized by sudden onset and intense pain on one side of the face near the eye
- cluster variable — RR Lyrae star.
- co-determination — a system of industrial management in which workers share responsibility for the operation of a company, as through elected representation on a corporate supervisory board
- coadministration — Joint administration.
- cobra de capello — a cobra, Naja tripudians, that has ringlike markings on the body and exists in many varieties in S and SE Asia
- cobweb houseleek — a small southern European plant, Sempervivum arachoideum, of the stonecrop family, having a dense, globular cluster of cobwebby leaves and red flowers on hairy stalks.
- cochineal cactus — a treelike cactus, Nopalea cochenillifera, of Mexico and Central America, that is a principal source of food of the cochineal insect.
- cochineal insect — a Mexican homopterous insect, Dactylopius coccus, that feeds on cacti
- cochlear implant — a device that stimulates the acoustic nerve in the inner ear in order to produce some form of hearing in people who are deaf from inner ear disease
- cock of the walk — a person who asserts himself or herself in a strutting pompous way
- cock-of-the-rock — either of two tropical South American birds, Rupicola rupicola or R. peruviana, having an erectile crest and (in the male) a brilliant red or orange plumage: family Cotingidae (cotingas)
- cocktail cabinet — a cupboard in which glasses and bottles are kept
- cocktail sausage — a small sausage served with drinks
- code of practice — A code of practice is a set of written rules which explains how people working in a particular profession should behave.
- cog in the wheel — small part of a large system
- cogito, ergo sum — I think, therefore I am; the basis of Descartes' philosophy
- coherence theory — the theory of truth that every true statement, insofar as it is true, describes its subject in the totality of its relationship with all other things.
- coherent control — the use of nonrandom radiation, especially a laser beam, to change an atomic, electronic, or molecular system's behavior.
- coign of vantage — an advantageous position or stance for observation or action
- coital exanthema — a common venereal disease affecting horses and cattle, caused by a virus and characterized by the appearance of pustules on the mucous membranes of the genital organs and neighboring skin.
- cold wall effect — the condition or state of having large or multiple windows through which heat escapes and cold air is conducted into a heated room via radiation.
- coleridge-taylor — Samuel. 1875–1912, British composer, best known for his trilogy of oratorios Song of Hiawatha (1898–1900)
- collaborationism — The act of collaborating, especially with an enemy.
- collaborationist — A collaborationist government or individual is one that helps or gives support to the enemy during the war.
- collagen disease — any of a group of diseases, as systemic lupus erythematosus, polyarteritis, scleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis, involving inflammation or degeneration of connective tissue and accompanied by deposition of fibrinous material.
- collared peccary — a piglike artiodactyl mammal, Tayassu tajacu, of forests of southern North America, Central and South America: family Tayassuidae
- collection plate — a plate that is used in church to collect money for charity or the support of the church
- collection point — the area in a shop where goods that have been paid for can be collected
- collective fruit — multiple fruit
- collectivisation — Alternative spelling of collectivization.
- collectivization — to organize (a people, industry, economy, etc.) according to the principles of collectivism.
- collector's item — A collector's item is an object which is highly valued by collectors because it is rare or beautiful.
- college graduate — a student who has recently graduated from college
- colles' fracture — a fracture of the radius just above the wrist, with backward and outward displacement of the hand
- collision course — If two or more people or things are on a collision course, there is likely to be a sudden and violent disagreement between them.
- colonial heights — a town in central Virginia.
- color television — tv set showing images in colour
- colorado plateau — a plateau in the SW United States, in N Arizona, NW New Mexico, S Utah, and SW Colorado: location of the Grand Canyon.
- colorado springs — a city and resort in central Colorado. Pop: 370 448 (2003 est)
- colorimetrically — (analytical chemistry) By means of colorimetry or by using a colorimeter.
- columbia heights — a city in SE Minnesota, near Minneapolis.
- column extractor — A column extractor is a tall vessel in which one liquid removes something from another liquid using physical contact.
- combination door — an outside door having a frame into which different types of panels can be inserted, as a screen for summer or storm sash for winter.
- combination drug — a medication comprised of set dosages of two or more separate drugs.
- combination last — a shoe last that has a narrower heel or instep than the standard last.
- combination lock — A combination lock is a lock which can only be opened by turning a dial or a number of dials according to a particular series of letters or numbers.