co r|al ree f (coral reefs ) N‑COUNT A coral reef is a long narrow mass of coral and other substances, the top of which is usually just above or just below the surface of the sea. □ An unspoilt coral reef encloses the bay.
cord /kɔː r d/ (cords )
1 N‑VAR Cord is strong, thick string. □ The door had been tied shut with a length of nylon cord. □ …gilded cords and tassels.
2 N‑VAR Cord is wire covered in rubber or plastic which connects electrical equipment to an electricity supply. □ …electrical cord. □ We used so many lights that we needed four extension cords.
3 N‑PLURAL [oft a pair of N ] Cords are trousers made of corduroy . □ He had bare feet, a T-shirt and cords on.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] Cord means made of corduroy . □ …a pair of cord trousers.
5 → see also spinal cord , umbilical cord , vocal cords
cor|dial /kɔː r diəl, [AM ] -dʒəl/ (cordials )
1 ADJ Cordial means friendly. [FORMAL ] □ He had never known him to be so chatty and cordial. ● cor|di|al|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ They all greeted me very cordially and were eager to talk about the new project.
2 N‑VAR Cordial is a sweet non-alcoholic drink made from fruit juice. [BRIT ]
cord|ite /kɔː r da I t/ N‑UNCOUNT Cordite is an explosive substance used in guns and bombs.
cord|less /kɔː r dləs/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A cordless telephone or piece of electric equipment is operated by a battery fitted inside it and is not connected to the electricity mains. □ The waitress approached Picone with a cordless phone.
cor|don /kɔː r d ə n/ (cordons , cordoning , cordoned ) N‑COUNT A cordon is a line or ring of police, soldiers, or vehicles preventing people from entering or leaving an area. □ Police formed a cordon between the two crowds.
▸ cordon off PHRASAL VERB If police or soldiers cordon off an area, they prevent people from entering or leaving it, usually by forming a line or ring. □ [V P n] Police cordoned off part of the city centre. □ [V n P ] The police cordoned everything off.
cor|don bleu /kɔː r dɒn blɜː / ADJ [ADJ n] Cordon bleu is used to describe cookery or cooks of the highest standard. □ I took a cordon bleu cookery course.
cor|du|roy /kɔː r dərɔ I / (corduroys )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Corduroy is thick cotton cloth with parallel raised lines on the outside. □ …a corduroy jacket.
2 N‑PLURAL Corduroys are trousers made out of corduroy.
core ◆◇◇ /kɔː r / (cores , coring , cored )
1 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] The core of a fruit is the central part of it. It contains seeds or pips. □ Peel the pears and remove the cores.
2 VERB If you core a fruit, you remove its core. □ [V n] …machines for peeling and coring apples.
3 N‑COUNT [usu with poss] The core of an object, building, or city is the central part of it. □ …the earth's core. □ [+ of ] The core of the city is a series of ancient squares.
4 N‑SING The core of something such as a problem or an issue is the part of it that has to be understood or accepted before the whole thing can be understood or dealt with. □ [+ of ] …the ability to get straight to the core of a problem.
5 N‑SING [N n] A core team or a core group is a group of people who do the main part of a job or piece of work. Other people may also help, but only for limited periods of time. □ We already have our core team in place. □ [+ of ] A core of about six staff would continue with the project.
6 N‑SING [usu N n] In a school or college, core subjects are a group of subjects that have to be studied. □ The core subjects are English, mathematics and science. □ [+ of ] …a core of nine academic subjects.
7 N‑SING [usu N n] The core businesses or the core activities of a company or organization are their most important ones. □ The group plans to concentrate on six core businesses. □ [+ of ] However, the main core of the company performed outstandingly.
8 → see also hard core , hard-core , soft-core
9 PHRASE You can use to the core to describe someone who is a very strong supporter of someone or something and will never change their views. For example, you can say that someone is Republican to the core . □ The villagers are royalist to the core.
10 PHRASE If someone is shaken to the core or shocked to the core , they are extremely shaken or shocked. □ Leonard was shaken to the core; he'd never seen or read anything like it. SYNONYMS core NOUN 4
essence: Others claim that Ireland's very essence is expressed through the language.
nub: That, I think, is the nub of the problem.
heart: The heart of the problem is supply and demand.
substance: The substance of his discussions doesn't really matter.
crux: He said the crux of the matter was economic policy.
co -reli gionist (co-religionists ) in AM, usually use coreligionist N‑COUNT [usu pl, oft poss N ] A person's co-religionists are people who have the same religion. [FORMAL ] □ They will turn for help to their co-religionists in the Middle East.