| 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] |
| catnip |
a downy, strongly scented plant of the mint family that is attractive to cats. |
| cat-o'-nine-tails |
a whip with nine knotted cords or lines attached to a handle, formerly used for flogging, esp. to discipline naval crewmen aboard ship. |
| cat rig |
one large sail on a mast set well forward in the bow, as of a catboat. |