Difficult IELTS Words

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Difficult IELTS Words (Group 2)

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boundary
boycott
brace
brashness
breach
brisk
browse
brush
bulge
bumbler
bungalow
buoyant
bureaucracy
burgeon
burrow
bustle
bypass
calamity
calcium
calorie
canny
canteen
capsule
caption
carcass
cascade
cast
catalogue
catalyst
catastrophe
caustic
censor
centenary
ceramic
certification
certify
cessation
chamber
characterize
charge
chasm
chaste
chauffeur
cherished
chilling
chisel
chore
chronological
circulate
circumference
cite
clasp
classify
clinical
clockwise
cluster
coarse
coax
codefendant
coed
coeducation
cognition
cognitive
coherent
coil
coincide
collaboration
collide
collider
combustible
commemorate
commend
commodity
commonplace
commute
commuter
comparable
compatriot
compel
compensate
compete
compete for
competence
compile
complement
compliance
compose
composite
compress
comprise
compulsory
compute
concerted
concise
concoct
concurrent
condemn
condense
condolence
confer
confide
configuration
confine
conform
congestion
congruent
conjure
conscience
conscientious
conscious
consecutive
consensus
consequent
conservation
conservatory
conserve
consign
consist
consolidate
conspicuous
constituent
constitute
constrain
constrict
construct
contaminate
contemplate
contend
contention
continuity
contradict
contradiction
contrive
convene
converge
converse
conversely
cook
correlate
correspond
correspondence
correspondent
corresponding
corrode
cortical
cosmopolitan
cosy
counterbalance
counterpart
couplet

Word and Definition List
boundary   Speak
n. dividing line; border; frontier
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boycott   Speak
v. refrain from buying or using
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brace   Speak
v. confront with questions; prepare or position so as to be ready for impact or danger
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brashness   Speak
n. characteristic of being brash; trait of being rash and hasty; tasteless showiness
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breach   Speak
n. an opening or tear; breaking of waves; a gap or rift
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brisk   Speak
a. marked by speed, liveliness, and vigor; energetic; swift; keen or sharp in speech or manner
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browse   Speak
v. graze; skim or glance at casually
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brush   Speak
n. short and sometimes occasional encounter or experience
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bulge   Speak
v. cause to curve outward; swell up; stick out; protrude
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bumbler   Speak
n. someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence
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bungalow   Speak
n. small house or cottage usually having a single story and attic
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buoyant   Speak
a. able to float; cheerful and optimistic
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bureaucracy   Speak
n. over-regulated administrative system
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burgeon   Speak
v. grow forth; send out buds; grow or develop rapidly
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burrow   Speak
n. tunnel; hole in the ground made by an animal for shelter; dig; move through by or as by digging
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bustle   Speak
v. move or cause to move energetically and busily; teem
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bypass   Speak
v. to avoid by using an alternative channel or route
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calamity   Speak
n. event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; disaster; misery
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calcium   Speak
n. silvery, moderately hard metallic element
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calorie   Speak
n. unit of heat; unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree
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canny   Speak
a. careful; pleasant; shrewd
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canteen   Speak
n. vessel used by soldiers for carrying water, liquor, or other drink; snack bar or small cafeteria, as on a military installation
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capsule   Speak
n. small container; spacecraft to transport people in outer space
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caption   Speak
n. title; chapter heading; text under illustration
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carcass   Speak
n. dead body of an animal especially one slaughtered and dressed for food
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cascade   Speak
n. a stream or sequence of something, a waterfall
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cast   Speak
v. throw something, especially light; throw with force; hurl
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catalogue   Speak
v. to creat or add to a systematic and complete list of item
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catalyst   Speak
n. agent which brings about chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged
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catastrophe   Speak
n. great, often sudden calamity; complete failure; sudden violent change in the earth's surface
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caustic   Speak
a. capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action
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censor   Speak
n. overseer of morals; official responsible for removal of objectionable or sensitive content
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centenary   Speak
a. relating to a 100-year period; occurring once every 100 years
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ceramic   Speak
a. of or pertaining to pottery; relating to the art of making earthenware; as, ceramic products; ceramic ornaments for ceilings.
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certification   Speak
n. document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts; confirmation that some fact or statement is true through the use of documentary evidence
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certify   Speak
v. give certain information to; assure; make certain
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cessation   Speak
n. a stopping or discontinuance of action
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chamber   Speak
n. room in a house, especially a bedroom; hall for the meetings of a legislative or other assembly; enclosed space
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characterize   Speak
v. distinguish; be characteristic of; be a distinctive trait or mark of
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charge   Speak
n. accusation, a claim of wrongdoing
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chasm   Speak
n. deep opening in the earth surface
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chaste   Speak
a. morally pure in thought or conduct; decent and modest
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chauffeur   Speak
n. a person employed to drive a private motor car or a hired car of executive or luxury class
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cherished   Speak
a. deeply loved or highly valued
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chilling   Speak
a. causing mild fear
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chisel   Speak
v. practice trickery or fraud; cheat
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chore   Speak
n. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee
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chronological   Speak
a. arranged in order of time of occurrence
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circulate   Speak
v. move around, as from person to person or place to place
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circumference   Speak
n. boundary line of a circle, figure, area, or object
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cite   Speak
v. quote; adduce as an instance
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clasp   Speak
n. fastening device; firm grip
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classify   Speak
v. declare unavailable, as for security reasons; arrange or order by classes or categories
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clinical   Speak
a. involving direct observation of a patient
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clockwise   Speak
ad. in the direction that the hands of a clock move
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cluster   Speak
n. group; bunch; group of the same or similar elements gathered or occurring closely
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coarse   Speak
a. rough; harsh; of low, common, or inferior quality
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coax   Speak
v. persuade or try to persuade by pleading or flattery
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codefendant   Speak
n. a defendant who has been joined together with one or more other defendants in a single action
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coed   Speak
a. relating to an education system in which both men and women attend
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coeducation   Speak
n. system of education in which both men and women attend the same institution or classes
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cognition   Speak
n. the process of knowing
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cognitive   Speak
a. knowing or perceiving; part of mental functions that deals with logic
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coherent   Speak
a. adhesive; cohesive; sticking together ; logical; sound; capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent manner
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coil   Speak
n. a series of connected spirals or concentric rings formed by gathering or winding; spiral pipe or series of spiral pipes
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coincide   Speak
v. occur at the same time as; correspond
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collaboration   Speak
n. act of working together; act of cooperating with an enemy, especially it occupying one's own country
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collide   Speak
v. bump; hit; conflict
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collider   Speak
n. accelerator in which two beams of particles are forced to collide head on
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combustible   Speak
a. capable of igniting and burning; easily aroused or excited
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commemorate   Speak
v. honor the memory of with a ceremony; serve as a memorial to
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commend   Speak
v. commit, entrust, or give in charge for care or preservation; recommend as worthy of confidence or regard
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commodity   Speak
n. goods; article of trade; advantage; benefit.
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commonplace   Speak
a. ordinary; having no remarkable features
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commute   Speak
v. obtain or bargain for exemption or substitution; travel regularly from a place of residence to another place
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commuter   Speak
n. someone who travels regularly from home in a suburb to work in a city
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comparable   Speak
a. similar or equivalent; being of equal regard; worthy to be ranked with
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compatriot   Speak
n. person from one's own country; colleague; somebody from one's own country; a fellow-countryman
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compel   Speak
v. force; coerce; necessitate or pressure by force
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compensate   Speak
v. serve as or provide a substitute or counterbalance
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compete   Speak
v. seek or strive for the same thing for which another is striving; contend in rivalry, as for a prize or in business
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compete for   Speak
v. seek or strive for the same thing as another; enter into competition or rivalry
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competence   Speak
n. quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually
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compile   Speak
v. put together or compose from materials gathered from several sources
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complement   Speak
v. complete; consummate; make perfect
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compliance   Speak
n. readiness to yield; happy friendly agreement
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compose   Speak
v. write; create; make or create by putting together parts or elements
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composite   Speak
a. made up of distinct parts or elements; compounded
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compress   Speak
v. close; squeeze or press together; contract
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comprise   Speak
v. include; consist of; be composed of
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compulsory   Speak
a. mandatory; obligatory; required by rule
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compute   Speak
v. reckon; make mathematical calculation
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concerted   Speak
a. planned or accomplished together; combined
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concise   Speak
a. brief and compact; expressing much in few words
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concoct   Speak
v. digest; convert into nourishment by the organs of nutrition.
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concurrent   Speak
a. simultaneous; coincident; occurring or operating at the same time
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condemn   Speak
v. express strong disapproval of; judge or declare to be unfit for use
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condense   Speak
v. change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops; compress or concentrate
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condolence   Speak
n. expression of sympathy with another in sorrow or grief.
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confer   Speak
v. bestow; present; have a conference in order to talk something over
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confide   Speak
v. disclose private matters in confidence; give as a responsibility or put into another's care
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configuration   Speak
n. arrangement of parts or elements; outline
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confine   Speak
v. restrict in movement; circumscribe
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conform   Speak
v. comply with; follow; fit; meet
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congestion   Speak
n. act of gathering or heaping together or forming a mass
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congruent   Speak
a. possessing congruity; suitable; agreeing; corresponding
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conjure   Speak
v. summon a devil or spirit by magical or supernatural power
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conscience   Speak
n. awareness of moral or ethical aspects to one's conduct, together with the urge to prefer right over wrong
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conscientious   Speak
a. diligent; responsible; reliable
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conscious   Speak
a. having an awareness of one's environment and one's own existence, sensations, and thoughts
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consecutive   Speak
a. following one after another without interruption; sequential
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consensus   Speak
n. opinion or position reached by a group as a whole; general agreement or concord
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consequent   Speak
a. resulting; following as a logical conclusion
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conservation   Speak
n. preservation or restoration from loss, damage, or neglect
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conservatory   Speak
n. greenhouse; school of music or dramatic art
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conserve   Speak
v. retain; protect from loss or harm; preserve; use carefully or sparingly, avoiding waste
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consign   Speak
v. give, transfer, or deliver in a formal manner, as if by signing over into the possession of another
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consist   Speak
v. be made up or composed; be comprised or contained in
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consolidate   Speak
v. make solid; unite or press together into a compact mass; harden or make dense and firm
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conspicuous   Speak
a. noticeable; prominent; easy to notice; obvious
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constituent   Speak
n. component or part; citizen, voter
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constitute   Speak
v. make up; form something
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constrain   Speak
v. restrain; keep within close bounds; confine
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constrict   Speak
v. restrict; shrink; make smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing
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construct   Speak
v. form by assembling or combining parts; build; create
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contaminate   Speak
v. make impure or unclean by contact or mixture; pollute; defile
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contemplate   Speak
v. look at attentively and thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
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contend   Speak
v. strive in opposition or against difficulties; struggle; compete, as in a race
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contention   Speak
n. competing as for profit or prize
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continuity   Speak
n. property of a continuous and connected period of time
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contradict   Speak
v. confront; oppose
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contradiction   Speak
n. assertion of contrary; denial of the truth of a statement or assertion; opposition, whether by argument or conduct
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contrive   Speak
v. form by an exercise of ingenuity; devise; invent; design
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convene   Speak
v. cause to come together formally
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converge   Speak
v. approach; tend to meet; come together
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converse   Speak
v. chat; talk informally; engage in a spoken exchange of thoughts
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conversely   Speak
ad. in a converse manner; with change of order or relation; reciprocally.
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cook   Speak
v. develop, or take place; prepare food for eating by applying heat
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correlate   Speak
v. relate; associate; bring into a mutual relation
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correspond   Speak
v. be compatible, similar or consistent; exchange messages
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correspondence   Speak
n. similarity or analogy; communication by the exchange of letters
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correspondent   Speak
a. one who communicates information, especially, by letter or telegram to newspaper or periodical
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corresponding   Speak
a. accompanying
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corrode   Speak
v. destroy metal or alloy gradually, especially by chemical action; be eaten or worn away
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cortical   Speak
a. pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure, such as the kidney or the brain
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cosmopolitan   Speak
a. sophisticated; of worldwide scope
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cosy   Speak
n. padded or knitted covering placed especially over a teapot to keep the tea hot; cozy
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counterbalance   Speak
v. act as force or influence that balances, checks or limits an opposite one
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counterpart   Speak
n. duplicate copy; analogue; one that closely resembles another
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couplet   Speak
n. two similar things; a pair; in poetry, a pair of lines with rhyming end words
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