| A | B |
|---|
| contusion | an injury in which the skin is not broken, a bruise |
| convalesce | to return to health and strength after an illness; the period needed for this |
| conversant | familiar, as by study or exper.; able to converse knowledgeably |
| convex | having a surface or boundary that curves or bulges outward |
| convivial | fond of feasting, drinking, and good company, sociable |
| convoluted | intricate, complicated |
| cooper | one that makes wooden barrels and tubs |
| co-opt (2) | to elect as a fellow member of a group; to neutralize or win over through assimilation into an established group "c____ rebels by giving them positions of authority" |
| copacetic or copasetic | very satisfactory or acceptable, fine |
| coprophilia | an abnormal, often obsessive interest in excrement, esp. the use of feces for sexual excitement |
| copula | another name for a linking verb |
| copulate | to engage in coitus or sexual intercourse |
| cordate | having a heart-shaped outline |
| cordon | a line of people, military posts, etc. stationed around an area to enclose or guard it |
| cordon bleu | a person highly distinguished in a field, esp. a master chef |
| cordon sanitaire | a chain of buffer states organized around a nation considered ideologically dangerous or potentially hostile |
| cormorant | a greedy, rapacious person |
| corniche (KOR-nish) | a road that winds along the side of a steep coast or cliff |
| corollary | a proposition that follows with little or no proof required from one already proven; a deduction or an inference; a natural consequence or effect |
| corpus | a large collection of writings on a specific subject |
| coporeal | or or relating to the body; of a material nature, tangible |
| corral | an enclosure for confining livestock |
| correctitude | appropriate manners and behavior, propiety |
| corrigible | capable of being corrected, reformed, or improved |
| corroborate | to strengthen or support with more evidence |
| corset | a close-fitting undergarment, often reinforced by stays, worn to support and shape the waistline, hips, and breasts |
| coruscate | to give forth flashes of light "diamonds c___ing in the candlelight" |
| corvée (kor-VAY) | labor exacted by a local authority for little or no pay esp. used in the maintenance of roads |
| corvette | a light, fast warship, smaller than a destroyer, often armed for anti-submarine operations |
| cosmopolitan (2) | pertinent or common to the whole world; so sophisticated as to be at home in all arts of the world or conversant w/ many spheres of interest |
| cosset | to pamper |
| costive | slow, sluggish (suffering from constipation) |
| coterie | a small, often select group of persons who associate with one another |
| cotillion | a formal ball, esp. one atwhich young women are presented to society |
| counterintuitive | contrary to what intuition or common sense would indicate |
| countermand | to cancel or reverse |
| coup d'état (koo day-TAH) | the sudden overthrow of a govt usu. by a small group of persons previously in authority positions |
| courtier | (one meaning) one who seeks favor, esp. by insincere flattery (a sovereign's attendant) |
| courtly (2) | elegant, refined; flattering in an insincere way |
| couth | having a high degree of sophistication |
