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cadmium
a soft bluish-white ductile malleable toxic bivalent metallic element; occurs in association with zinc ores
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caduceus
an insignia used by the medical profession; modeled after the staff of Hermes
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cairn
a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
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caliper
an instrument for measuring the distance between two points (often used in the plural)
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calligraphy
beautiful handwriting
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cameo
engraving or carving in low relief on a stone (as in a brooch or ring)
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camera
equipment for taking photographs (usually consisting of a lightproof box with a lens at one end and light-sensitive film at the other)
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camera lucida
an optical device consisting of an attachment that enables an observer to view simultaneously the image and a drawing surface for sketching it
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camera obscura
a darkened enclosure in which images of outside objects are projected through a small aperture or lens onto a facing surface
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camouflage
an outward semblance that misrepresents the true nature of something
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campanile
a bell tower; usually stands alone unattached to a building
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candelabrum
branched candlestick; ornamental; has several lights
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cane
a strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds, rattans, or sugar cane
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canopic jar
a jar used in ancient Egypt to contain entrails of an embalmed body
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canvas
a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
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capital
one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis
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capital letter
one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis
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caption
brief description accompanying an illustration
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carat
the unit of measurement for the proportion of gold in an alloy; 18-karat gold is 75% gold; 24-karat gold is pure gold
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cardboard
a stiff moderately thick paper
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caricature
a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect
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cartoon
a humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine
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cartouche
a cartridge (usually with paper casing)
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caryatid
a supporting column carved in the shape of a person
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celluloid
highly flammable substance made from cellulose nitrate and camphor; used in e.g. motion-picture and X-ray film; its use has decreased with the development of nonflammable thermoplastics
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cement
a building material that is a powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay; used with water and sand or gravel to make concrete and mortar
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censorship
deleting parts of publications or correspondence or theatrical performances
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ceramics
the art of making and decorating pottery
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chalice
a bowl-shaped drinking vessel; especially the Eucharistic cup
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chalk
a soft whitish calcite
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change
become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
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chapel
a place of worship that has its own altar
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charcoal
a carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic matter in the absence of air
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chess
a board game for two players who move their 16 pieces according to specific rules; the object is to checkmate the opponent's king
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chevron
an inverted V-shaped charge
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chiaroscuro
a monochrome picture made by using several different shades of the same color
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chinoiserie
a style in art reflecting Chinese influence; elaborately decorated and intricately patterned
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chisel
an edge tool with a flat steel blade with a cutting edge
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chiton
a woolen tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece
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chop
cut with a hacking tool
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chrome
another word for chromium when it is used in dyes or pigments
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chromolithography
single- or multi-color lithography
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cinema
a medium that disseminates moving pictures
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cinematography
the act of making a film
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cinnabar
a heavy reddish mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide; the chief source of mercury
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circle
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
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circular saw
a power saw that has a steel disk with cutting teeth on the periphery; rotates on a spindle
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circumference
the length of the closed curve of a circle
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claw hammer
a hammer with a cleft at one end for pulling nails
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cleaning
the act of making something clean
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clerestory
part of an interior wall rising above the adjacent roof with windows admitting light
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clip art
ready-made pieces of computerized graphic art that can be used to decorate a document
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cloisonne
enamelware in which colored areas are separated by thin metal strips
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closeup
a photograph taken at close range
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closure
an obstruction in a pipe or tube
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clove hitch
a knot used to fasten a line temporarily to a post or spar
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coat of arms
the official symbols of a family, state, etc.
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cobalt
a hard ferromagnetic silver-white bivalent or trivalent metallic element; a trace element in plant and animal nutrition
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codex
an unbound manuscript of some ancient classic (as distinguished from a scroll)
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coffer
a chest especially for storing valuables
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coil
a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
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collaboration
act of working jointly
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collage
a paste-up made by sticking together pieces of paper or photographs to form an artistic image
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collectible
things considered to be worth collecting (not necessarily valuable or antique)
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collection
the act of gathering something together
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collotype
a photomechanical printing process that uses a glass plate with a gelatin surface that carries the image to be reproduced; can be used with one or more colors
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colophon
a publisher's emblem printed in a book (usually on the title page)
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color
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
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color wheel
a chart in which complementary colors (or their names) are arranged on opposite sides of a circle
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color-blind
unable to distinguish one or more chromatic colors
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colossus
someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
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column
a line of units following one after another
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combine
put or add together
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compare
examine and note the similarities or differences of
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compass
navigational instrument for finding directions
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composition
the way in which someone or something is composed
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concave
curving inward
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concentric
having a common center
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concrete
capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary
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cone
a shape whose base is a circle and whose sides taper up to a point
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connoisseur
an expert able to appreciate a field; especially in the fine arts
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construction
the act of constructing something
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constructivism
an abstractionist artistic movement in Russia after World War I; industrial materials were used to construct nonrepresentational objects
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contour
a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
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contour line
a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
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convex
curving or bulging outward
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copper
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
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copyright
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
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Corinthian
a resident of Corinth
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corrugated cardboard
cardboard with corrugations (can be glued to flat cardboard on one or both sides)
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cosmetics
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costume
the attire characteristic of a country or a time or a social class
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counterfeit
not genuine; imitating something superior
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countersink
insert (a nail or screw below the surface, as into a countersink)
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crackle
make a crackling sound
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craft
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
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craftsmanship
skill in an occupation or trade
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crayon
writing implement consisting of a colored stick of composition wax used for writing and drawing
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creativity
the ability to create
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crenelation
a rampart built around the top of a castle with regular gaps for firing arrows or guns
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crepuscular
like twilight; dim
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crop
a cultivated plant that is grown commercially on a large scale
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cross-section
representing a plane made by cutting across something at right angles to its length
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crossing
a point where two lines (paths or arcs etc.) intersect
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crown
an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty
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crucifix
representation of the cross on which Jesus died
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crypt
a cellar or vault or underground burial chamber (especially beneath a church)
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cryptogram
a piece of writing in code or cipher
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cube
a hexahedron with six equal squares as faces
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cubism
an artistic movement in France beginning in 1907 that featured surfaces of geometrical planes
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culture
all the knowledge and values shared by a society
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cuneiform
an ancient wedge-shaped script used in Mesopotamia and Persia
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curve
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
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curvilinear
characterized by or following a curved line
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cyan
a primary subtractive color for light; has a blue-green color
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cylinder
a surface generated by rotating a parallel line around a fixed line
