<B>coherent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Figurative.) logically connected; consistent. <BR> <I>Ex. The driver was so upset that he could not give a coherent account of the accident. A coherent sentence is easy to read and clear to understand.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>sticking together; holding together. <BR> <I>Ex. coherent molecules.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Physics.) having waves of a similar phase, direction, and amplitude and capable of exhibiting interference. <BR> <I>Ex. Lasers ... form a highly directional and powerful beam of coherent light (Science News Letter).</I> adv. <B>coherently.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="coherer">
<B>coherer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a device for detecting radio waves, formerly used instead of vacuum tubes in radios. A coherer consists essentially of a tube containing metal filings or other conducting substances which cohere with a subsequent fall in resistance when struck by a radio wave. </DL>
<A NAME="cohesion">
<B>cohesion, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a sticking together; tendency to hold together. <BR> <I>Ex. Wet sand has more cohesion than dry sand. (Figurative.) The party lost the election because it lacked cohesion.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Physics.) attraction between molecules of the same kind. <BR> <I>Ex. Drops of water are a result of cohesion.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Botany.) the congenital union of one part with another. </DL>
<A NAME="cohesive">
<B>cohesive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>sticking together; tending to hold together. <BR> <I>Ex. Magnetized iron filings form a cohesive mass. (Figurative.) The members of a family are a cohesive unit in our society. (Figurative.) What is important in determining the work output of an industrial group is whether the group is tight-knit and cohesive enough to be properly called a group (Science News Letter).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>causing cohesion. <BR> <I>Ex. When a substance is heated, the heat energy causes its molecules to move faster. Eventually, the molecules will move so rapidly that their cohesive forces cannot hold them together (Louis Marick).</I> adv. <B>cohesively.</B> noun <B>cohesiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="coho">
<B>coho, </B>noun, pl. <B>-hoes.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a salmon of the coastal waters and rivers of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, having deep-red flesh which loses color in canning; coho salmon; silver salmon. </DL>
<A NAME="cohoba">
<B>cohoba, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a snuff having narcotic properties, made from the seeds of a South American tree similar to the mimosa. </DL>
<A NAME="cohobate">
<B>cohobate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-bated,</B> <B>-bating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Pharmacology.) to distill again from the same or a similar substance. </DL>
<A NAME="cohort">
<B>cohort, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a part of an ancient Roman legion. There were from 300 to 600 soldiers in each cohort, and 10 cohorts in each legion. <DD><B> 2. </B>any group of soldiers. <BR> <I>Ex. The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold (Byron).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a group, band, or company. <BR> <I>Ex. ... a small cohort of social regenerators (John Tyndall).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Informal, Figurative.) an associate or follower. <BR> <I>Ex. He is one of the cohorts of the local political boss.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="cohosalmon">
<B>coho salmon,</B> <B>=coho.</B></DL>
<A NAME="cohosh">
<B>cohosh, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any plant of several North American medicinal herbs, especially the black cohosh and the baneberry of the crowfoot family, and the blue cohosh, an herb of the barberry family. <BR> <I>Ex. Cohosh yields a drug used to treat St. Vitus's Dance (Harold N. Moldenke).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="cohousing">
<B>co-housing, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a housing complex for many families in which units are individually owned by residents who share responsibility for its management and the provision of services. <BR> <I>Ex. Co-housing differs from traditional housing in ... that the residents decide in advance what the complex should look like and how it should function (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="cohune">
<B>cohune, </B>noun, or <B>cohune palm,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a Central American palm bearing large nuts whose shells are made into ornaments and whose meat yields an oil resembling coconut oil. </DL>
<A NAME="coif">
<B>coif, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B><B>=coiffure.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>a cap or hood that fits closely around the head. <DD><B> 3. </B>a cap worn under a veil by a nun. <DD><B> 4. </B>any one of various caps worn by European women. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Historical.) a metal skullcap, or a leather one under a helmet, worn by a soldier. <DD><B> 6. </B>(British.) <DD><B> a. </B>a white skullcap formerly worn by sergeants-at-law as a mark of their profession. <DD><B> b. </B>the position or office of a sergeant-at-law. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to dress, make up, or arrange (the hair). <DD><B> 2a. </B>to provide or cover with a coif or something like a coif. <BR> <I>Ex. He would not suffer himself to be coifed, but covered his head with a quilted linen night-cap (Tobias Smollett).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to invest with the coif of a sergeant-at-law. </DL>
<B>coiffeuse, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) a woman hairdresser. </DL>
<A NAME="coiffure">
<B>coiffure, </B>noun, verb, <B>-fured,</B> <B>-furing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a style of arranging the hair. <DD><B> 2. </B>a covering for the hair; headdress. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to arrange in a coiffure. <DD><B> 2. </B>to put a coiffure on. </DL>
<B>coign of vantage,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a good location for watching or doing something. </DL>
<A NAME="coil">
<B>coil</B> (1), verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to wind around and around into a pile, a tube, or a curl. <BR> <I>Ex. A snake can coil itself up. The wire spring was evenly coiled.</I> (SYN) twist, convolute. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to wind oneself around; place or grow around something. <BR> <I>Ex. The snake coiled around a branch.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to move in a winding course. <BR> <I>Ex. The road coiled through the twisting valley.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>anything that is coiled. <BR> <I>Ex. a coil of rope.</I> (SYN) convolution. <DD><B> 2. </B>one wind or turn of a coil. (SYN) twist. <DD><B> 3. </B>a series of connected pipes arranged in a coil or row. <BR> <I>Ex. the coils of a radiator.</I> <DD><B> 4a. </B>wire wound around and around into a spiral for carrying electric current. <BR> <I>Ex. an induction coil.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>an apparatus consisting of such a wire together with its accessories. <DD><B> 5. </B>a roll of postage stamps. <DD><B> 6. </B>a twist of hair. </DL>
<A NAME="coil">
<B>coil</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) commotion; bustle; turmoil. <BR><I>expr. <B>mortal coil,</B> </I>the bustle or turmoil of human life. <BR> <I>Ex. When we have shuffled off this mortal coil (Shakespeare).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="coiler">
<B>coiler, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that coils. <DD><B> 2. </B>a workman who attends a machine that winds finished products in coils or on bobbins or drums. <DD><B> 3. </B>an apparatus, connected with a carding machine, in textile manufacturing, for receiving the sliver and disposing of it in the form of coils. </DL>
<A NAME="coilspring">
<B>coil spring,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a spring of spiral shape, as for an automobile. </DL>
<A NAME="coin">
<B>coin, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>a piece of metal, stamped and issued by a government for use as money. Pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters are United States coins. <DD><B> b. </B>metal money. A government makes coin by stamping metal. <DD><B> c. </B>(Slang.) money; cash. <BR> <I>Ex. He needs some coin right away.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. Bad news from Sheffield is regrettably common coin (London Times). ... faith and vision--unfashionable words, worn coin, but real forces (Listener).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>Also, <B>coign,</B> <B>coigne.</B> (Architecture.) <DD><B> a. </B>a corner, especially an exterior angle of a wall or building. <DD><B> b. </B>a cornerstone; quoin. <DD><B> c. </B>a wedge-shaped stone of an arch. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Printing.) a wedge used for securing type in a chase; quoin. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make (money) by stamping metal; mint. <BR> <I>Ex. The mint coins millions of nickels and dimes each year.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to make (metal) into money; mint. <BR> <I>Ex. to coin silver into half dollars.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to make up; invent. <BR> <I>Ex. We often coin new words or phrases to name new products. The word "chortle" was coined by Lewis Carroll.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to make metal money; mint. <DD><B> 2. </B>(British.) to make counterfeit money. <BR> <I>Ex. Coining is a serious offense.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>coin money.</B> </I>See under <B>money.</B> <BR><I>expr. <B>pay</B> (a person) <B>back in his own coin,</B> </I>to treat (a person) as he has treated oneself or others. <BR> <I>Ex. Since she refused to help me, the next time she asks me for a favor I will refuse, paying her back in her own coin.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>the other side of the coin,</B> </I>the other or reverse aspect; opposite point of view. <BR> <I>Ex. A non-union employe will be receiving the same rights ... The other side of the coin is he will be receiving the same restrictions ... as all of the other union members (Wall Street Journal).</I> adj. <B>coinable.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="coinage">
<B>coinage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>the making of coins; minting. <BR> <I>Ex. The United States mint is in charge of coinage.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the right of coining money. <DD><B> 2. </B>coins; metal money. <BR> <I>Ex. He is a collector of foreign coinage.</I> (SYN) currency, specie. <DD><B> 3. </B>a system of coins. <BR> <I>Ex. The United States has a decimal coinage.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) <DD><B> a. </B>the act or process of making up; inventing. <BR> <I>Ex. Travel in outer space has led to the coinage of many new words.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a word, phrase, etc., invented. <BR> <I>Ex. "Transistor" and "laser" are fairly new coinages. The word "Kodak" was a coinage by George Eastman.</I> </DL>
