canon
A large size of type formerly used for printing the church canons, standardized as 48-point.
Entries starting with C
768 entries.
canopy
The zone of the highest foliage and branches of a forest.
cant
A piece of wood laid upon the deck of a vessel to support the bulkheads.
cant strip
nounConstruction
a beveled strip used under flashings to modify the angle at the point where the roofing or waterproofing membrane meets any vertical element.
cantilever
nounConstruction
A beam anchored at one end and projecting into space, such as a long bracket projecting from a wall to support a balcony.
Canuck
The Avro Canada CF-100 fighter-interceptor aircraft, in use between 1952 and 1981.
cap flashing
Flashing, usually composed of metal, used to cover or shield the upper edges of the membrane base flashing; wall flashing can also be used to cover the top of various building components, such as parapets or columns.
cap sheet
nounConstruction
A sheet, often granule-surfaced, used as the top ply of some roof membranes and/or flashings.
capacitively
adverbIndustrial electronics
In relation to or in terms of capacitance
capacitor
An electronic component capable of storing electrical energy in an electric field; especially one consisting of two conductors separated by a dielectric.
capacitor plague
Premature failure of an electrolytic capacitor, especially when several are beginning to fail at the same time in a piece of equipment (due, for example, to high demands imposed by the circuit design, such as in a switchmode power supply), necessitating "re-capping" (i.e. replacing many capacitors after disconnecting the power and waiting for lethal charge to dissipate).
CAPCOM
Clipping of capsule communicator; a NASA position, the liaison between an in-space crew and mission control.
capel
A composite stone (quartz, schorl, and hornblende) in the walls of tin and copper lodes.
capstan
A rotating spindle used to move recording tape through the mechanism of a tape recorder.
capsule
A detachable part of a rocket or spacecraft (usually in the nose) containing the crew's living space.
captain
A rank qualifying an airline pilot to act as pilot in command of a two-pilot flight crew.
capture card
A circuit board allowing a computer to record video from an external source.
car
nounRail equipment
Any vehicle designed to run on rails, especially an unpowered one towed by being connected to others.
car battery
A 12-volt battery used to run the electric starter motor in order to ignite the internal combustion engine of an automobile, and power accessories when the engine is off and the alternator is not turning.
car body
nounRail equipment
The body of a rail vehicle called a car.
car chase
A chase, usually high-speed, between people in two or more cars or other vehicles, normally between the police or other law enforcement and an offender.
car door
nounRail equipment
A door designed for use on a car (whether a railway carriage or an automobile).
car glass
nounAutomotive
A windscreen, a side or rear window or glass panel roof on a vehicle.
car mile
nounRail equipment
A mile travelled by a single railway car, taken as a unit of computation, as in computing the average travel of each car of a system during a given period.
car mileage
nounRail equipment
The amount paid by one railroad for the use of cars of another railroad.
car part
nounAutomotive
A part that can be fitted to a car, often as a replacement for a worn-out or damaged part.
car platform
nounAutomotive
The shared structural and mechanical foundation on which multiple different car models are built.
car shed
nounRail equipment
A large building provided for the housing and maintenance of passenger cars or carriages (or coupled trains thereof).
car show
nounAutomotive
A typically annual or semiannual public event for exhibition of privately owned automobiles, especially classic cars.
car-sleeper
nounRail equipment
A sleeping car train which also includes vehicles for carrying passengers' motor cars.
carbon black
A fine black powder of amorphous carbon manufactured by the incomplete combustion of natural gas or oil, and used as a pigment in the manufacture of ink and paint. Used as a filler in rubber and rubber-like polymers, it helps prevent deterioration by ultraviolet rays.
carcass
An early incendiary ship-to-ship projectile consisting of an iron shell filled with saltpetre, sulphur, resin, turpentine, antimony and tallow with vents for flame.
card
A perforated pasteboard or sheet-metal plate for warp threads, making part of the Jacquard apparatus of a loom.
card clash
The situation where two or more contactless payment cards are simultaneously detected by a card reader, possibly resulting in the incorrect card, or more than one card, being charged.
cardan shaft
A driveshaft with a universal joint at one or both ends.
cardinal
adjectiveMarine and shipyard
Of or relating to the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west).
cargo liner
nounAutomotive
A lining for an aircraft's cargo hold; a lining for automotive interior wayback spaces or boots (trunks).
cargo shorts
Casual short trousers with pockets, originally designed for outdoor activities.
cargon
A type of wheeled pallet used for movement of goods without the need of a forklift.
carload
nounRail equipment
The quantity of goods that can be carried in a freight car.
carmagnole
nounManufacturing
A short jacket, fashionable during the French Revolution, with short skirts, a broad collar and lapels, and several rows of buttons.
carpenter's pencil
nounWoodworking
A pencil specifically designed for the requirements of a carpenter: oval shape makes it less likely to roll away, and thick graphite facilitates drawing on rough surfaces.
carpet bedding
A system of horticulture in which plants are arranged in mosaic or geometrical designs.
carriage
nounRail equipment
Ellipsis of railway carriage (“a passenger railroad car, or any railroad car”).
carriage gown
A fashionable dress and outerwear ensemble that is worn for riding in a carriage, walking in a garden, etc.
carrier
nounManufacturing
A liquid or gas used as a medium for another substance.
carry
To capture a ship by coming alongside and boarding.
carrying capacity
The number of people or things that a vehicle is designed to carry.
carshop
nounRail equipment
A workshop for building and repairing railway carriages.
cartridge
nounPlumbing
A replaceable valve assembly within a faucet or shower fixture that regulates the flow and temperature of the water.
cartridge ejector
A mechanism to eject a cartridge from its housing or cartridge drive, often operating on a simple mechanical principle.
carving knife
nounCarpentry
A knife used to pare, cut, and smooth wood.
CAS
Initialism of channel-associated signalling.
case
A small fissure which admits water into the workings.
case harden
verbMetallurgy
To impart greater hardness to the surface of a piece of metal.
case hardening
nounMetallurgy
The process of imparting greater hardness to the surface of a piece of metal.
case-hardened
adjectiveMetallurgy
Of metal: harder at its surface, due to a case hardening process.
cash crop
A crop that is grown for sale rather than for personal food or for feeding to livestock.
CASM
Acronym of cost per available seat-mile, a method of calculating operating costs in the travel industry, derived by dividing total operating expenses by total ASMs.
cassette
A saggar (ceramic container used in a kiln).