1 the past participle of choose
2 When you are chosen, you are picked to do something. • I was chosen for the volleyball team.
christen christens, christening, christened
VERB When a priest christens someone, they name them in a ceremony where water is poured over their head as a sign that they are a member of the Christian church.
christening NOUN
Christian Christians
NOUN a person who believes in Jesus Christ and his teachings
Christianity NOUN
Christmas Christmases
NOUN a Christian festival held on December 25th to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ
chrome
Said “krome” NOUN metal plated with chromium, a hard, silver-grey metal
chromosome chromosomes
Said “krome-uh-soam” NOUN the part of a cell in living things that contains the genes that determine what characteristics the animal or plant will have
chronic
ADJECTIVE lasting a very long time or never stopping • He suffers from chronic hay fever.
chronological
ADJECTIVE arranged in the order in which things happened • Tell me the whole story in chronological order.
chronologically ADVERB
chrysalis chrysalises
NOUN a butterfly or moth when it is developing from being a caterpillar to being a fully grown adult
chrysanthemum chrysanthemums
NOUN a plant with large, brightly-coloured flowers
chuckle chuckles, chuckling, chuckled
VERB When you chuckle, you laugh quietly.
chunk chunks
NOUN a thick piece of something
SYNONYMS: hunk, lump, piece
church churches
NOUN a building where Christians go for religious services and worship
churchyard churchyards
NOUN an area of land around a church, often used as a graveyard
churn churns, churning, churned
NOUN 1 a container used for making milk or cream into butter
VERB 2 When you churn something, you stir it vigorously, for example when making milk into butter.
churn out
VERB If you churn out something, you produce it quickly in large numbers. • They churned out hundreds of leaflets advertising the dance.
chutney
NOUN a strong-tasting, thick sauce made from fruit, vinegar and spices
cider
NOUN an alcoholic drink made from apples
cigar cigars
NOUN a roll of dried tobacco leaves, which people smoke
cigarette cigarettes
NOUN a thin tube of paper containing tobacco, which people smoke
cinder cinders
NOUN Cinders are small pieces of burnt material left after something such as wood or coal has burned.
cinema cinemas
NOUN a place where people go to watch films
circle circles, circling, circled
NOUN 1 a regular, two-dimensional round shape. Every point on the edge is the same distance from the centre.
VERB 2 to move around in a circle • Seagulls circled overhead.
circular ADJECTIVE
circuit circuits
NOUN 1 the path of an electric current
2 a racecourse
3 A training circuit is a course of physical activities.
circulation circulations
NOUN 1 the movement of blood around a body
2 the number of copies of a newspaper or magazine that are sold each time it is issued
circumference circumferences
NOUN 1 the outer line or edge of a circle
2 The length of this line is also called the circumference.
circumstance circumstances
NOUN The circumstances of a situation or event are the conditions that affect what happens. • He did well under difficult circumstances.
circus circuses
NOUN a travelling show performed in a large tent, with performers such as clowns and acrobats
cistern cisterns
NOUN a tank in which water is stored, such as in the roof of a house, or above a toilet
citizen citizens
NOUN The citizens of a country or city are the people who live in it or belong to it.
citrus fruit citrus fruits
NOUN Citrus fruits are juicy, sharp-tasting fruits such as oranges, lemons and grapefruit.
city cities
NOUN a large town where many people live and work
civil
ADJECTIVE 1 relating to the citizens of a place
2 Someone who is civil is polite.
civilian civilians
NOUN a person who is not in the armed forces
civilization civilizations; also spelt civilisation
NOUN 1 a large group of people with a high level of organization
