catgut |
a thin, strong cord made of twisted, dried animal intestines, esp. those of sheep, and used for the strings of tennis rackets and certain musical instruments, and as surgical thread. |
cath- |
variant of cata-. |
catharsis |
purging, esp. of the digestive system. [3 definitions] |
cathartic |
of or pertaining to purgation or emotional catharsis; purgative. [2 definitions] |
Cathay |
a former name for China. |
cathead |
a beam projecting from the bow of a ship, to which the anchor is hoisted and secured. |
cathect |
in psychoanalysis, to invest feeling or emotion in someone or something external to oneself. |
cathedra |
the official seat of a bishop. |
cathedral |
the principal church of a bishop's diocese, containing his official throne. [5 definitions] |
catheter |
a thin, flexible, hollow tube inserted into a body passage or cavity to drain fluid, esp. urine from the bladder. |
catheterize |
to put a catheter into. |
cathode |
the positive terminal of a battery. (Cf. anode.) |
cathode ray |
a stream of electrons emitted by a cathode in a vacuum tube. |
cathode-ray tube |
a vacuum tube in which a stream of electrons is accelerated and focused in a beam that produces lighted traces on a screen at one end of the tube, used in television sets, computer monitors, and the like. |
catholic |
all-encompassing or wide-ranging. [3 definitions] |
Catholicism |
the theological and moral doctrines, the faith, and the ecclesiastical practices of the Roman Catholic Church. |
catholicity |
the quality or state of being broad-minded or of having a wide range of ideas or tastes. [2 definitions] |
catholicize |
to make universal or general. [2 definitions] |
cation |
an ion with a positive charge. (Cf. anion.) |
catkin |
a dense, drooping cluster of small flowers growing in rows on a spike, as on a willow tree. |
catnap |
a brief, light sleep; doze. [2 definitions] |