#250 cipher/cypher

cipher/cypher- a method of secret writing using substitution or transposition of letters according to a key; a secret message

C14 from Old French cifre zero, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic sifr zero, empty

Poor Randolph had upon him a letter in cipher from the King to a certain lord.

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#249 cinnamon

cinnamon- a tropical Asian lauraceous tree, having aromatic yellowish-brown bark; the spice obtained from the bark

C15 from Old French cinnamome, via Latin and Greek, from Hebrew qinnamown

The spiciness from the cinnamon is the first thing that tempts the palate followed by the gradual heat from the cayenne.

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#248 cincture

cincture- something that encircles or surrounds, especially a belt, girdle, border

- C16 from Latin cinctura to gird

My cassock cincture is way too tight, but I really ought to lose weight instead of getting a bigger wardrobe.

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#247 cicerone

cicerone- a person who conducts and informs sightseers

C18 from Italian: antiquarian scholar, guide, after Cicero, alluding to the eloquence and erudition of these men

Mr. Henry, my host and very able cicerone, is an American missionary, and as such carries with him the gospel of peace on earth and good will to men.

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#246 chutney

chutney- a pickle of Indian origin,made from fruit, vinegar, spices, sugar - mango chutney

C19 from Hindi catni

Manufactured in Johannesburg and exported to the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Germany, the chutney is a slightly sweet and spicy sauce made from apricots and peaches.

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#245 churl

churl- a surly, rude, ill-bred person

- Old English ceorl; Old Norse karl, Middle Low German kerle, Greek geron old man

- also adjective churlish

“What churl is this,” he said, “who has remained sitting stationary like a block of wood, or the fragment of a rock, when so many noble knights, the flower of chivalry, stand in reverence?"

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#244 chrysanthemum

chrysanthemum- widely cultivated flower

C16 from Latin- marigold, from Greek khrusanthemon, from khrusos gold + anthemon flower

Memorized that spelling?

It ranks as the national flower of Japan, where special attention is paid to its cultivation and variation, and where an open 16-petaled chrysanthemum is the imperial emblem.

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