<B>creation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of making a thing which has not been made before. <BR> <I>Ex. The gasoline motor led to the creation of the modern automobile.</I> (SYN) origination, genesis. <DD><B> 2. </B>a being created. <BR> <I>Ex. As when a new Particle of Matter doth begin to exist ... which had before no Being; and this we call Creation (John Locke).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>all things that have been created; the world; the universe. <BR> <I>Ex. Let all creation praise the Lord.</I> (SYN) cosmos. <DD><B> 4. </B>a thing produced by intelligence or skill, usually an important or original one. <BR> <I>Ex. Poems, paintings, and symphonies are creations of the imagination.</I> (SYN) invention, production. <DD><B> 5. </B>a new article or style of clothing by a fashion designer. <BR> <I>Ex. The strapless dress was a Coco Chanel creation.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>the Creation,</B> </I>the creating of the universe by God. <BR> <I>Ex. The Bible says the Creation took six days. ... as if all India was theirs, by title, from the Creation (Thomas Herbert).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="creational">
<B>creational, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with creation. </DL>
<A NAME="creationism">
<B>creationism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the doctrine that all things were created by God substantially as they are now, and did not gradually evolve or develop. <DD><B> 2. </B>the doctrine that God immediately creates a soul for every human infant born. noun <B>creationist.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="creationscience">
<B>creation science,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the teachings of creationism. <BR> <I>Ex. The creationists are flooding state Legislatures with bills and pressuring school boards to give "creation science" ... equal time with evolution in the nation's science classrooms (Tuscaloosa News).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="creative">
<B>creative, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>having the power to create; inventive; productive. <BR> <I>Ex. Sculptors are creative artists.</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>approaching the realm of art; imaginative. <BR> <I>Ex. creative engineering.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>artistic; literary (limited to fiction and poetry). <BR> <I>Ex. the creative people of the theater. The writing of poems, stories, or plays is often called creative writing.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>constructive; purposeful; involving something useful or worthwhile. <BR> <I>Ex. The real secret of living with children ... lies in knowing how to be creative in taking away (Time).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> (U.S. Informal.) a creative person. <BR> <I>Ex. Maybe all this recent talk about creativity is pushing the creatives to the top (New York Times).</I> adv. <B>creatively.</B> noun <B>creativeness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="creativeevolution">
<B>creative evolution,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Philosophy.) (in Bergsonism) evolution seen as a process of constant creation under the impulse of the elan vital. </DL>
<A NAME="creativity">
<B>creativity, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality of being creative; ability to create. <BR> <I>Ex. the creativity of contemporary architects.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="creator">
<B>creator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that creates. <BR> <I>Ex. Leonardo da Vinci was the creator of many ideas for inventions.</I> (SYN) originator, engenderer, maker, producer, inventor, author, designer. <BR><I>expr. <B>the Creator,</B> </I>God. <BR> <I>Ex. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="creatorship">
<B>creatorship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the condition or function of a creator. </DL>
<A NAME="creatress">
<B>creatress, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a woman who creates, produces, or constitutes. </DL>
<A NAME="creatrix">
<B>creatrix, </B>noun, pl. <B>creatrixes,</B> <B>creatrices.</B> =creatress.</DL>
<A NAME="creatural">
<B>creatural, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with or of the nature of a creature or creatures; creaturely. </DL>
<A NAME="creature">
<B>creature, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any living person or animal; a person or beast. <BR> <I>Ex. Mother let us keep the lost dog, as the poor creature was starving.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>anything created; creation. <BR> <I>Ex. Ghosts are creatures of our imagination.</I> (SYN) invention, production. <DD><B> 3. </B>a farm animal (especially in the United States). <DD><B> 4. </B>a person who is strongly influenced or controlled by another person or thing; person who is ready to do anything that another asks. (SYN) dependent, tool. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Figurative.) something produced by or developing from something else; result; product. <DD><B> 6. </B>material comfort, especially food, drink, and the like. <BR> <I>Ex. Good wine is a good familiar creature (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>intoxicating liquor, especially whiskey (humorous, from the passage I Timothy 4:4, "Every creature of God is good," used in defense of the use of wine). </DL>
<A NAME="creaturecomforts">
<B>creature comforts,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> things that give bodily comfort. Food, clothing, and shelter are creature comforts. </DL>
<A NAME="creaturehood">
<B>creaturehood, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the condition of being a creature. </DL>
<A NAME="creaturely">
<B>creaturely, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with a creature or creatures; creatural. noun <B>creatureliness.</B> </DL>
<B>creche, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a model of the Christ child in the manger, with attending figures, often displayed at Christmas. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=day nursery.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>an asylum or hospital for abandoned infants. </DL>
<A NAME="credal">
<B>credal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or characterized by a creed; creedal. </DL>
<A NAME="credence">
<B>credence, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>belief or credit. <BR> <I>Ex. The kind-hearted old lady seldom gave credence to gossip about her neighbors.</I> (SYN) faith, trust. <DD><B> 2. </B>an introduction or recommendation in confidence; credential. <BR> <I>Ex. a letter of credence.</I> (SYN) testimonial. <DD><B> 3. </B>a small side table or shelf for holding elements and articles used in the Eucharistic service; credence table. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) a serving table or sideboard. </DL>
<A NAME="credencetable">
<B>credence table,</B> =credence.</DL>
<A NAME="credendum">
<B>credendum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-da.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a thing to be believed. <DD><B> 2. </B>an article of faith. </DL>
<A NAME="credent">
<B>credent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>believing; trustful; confiding. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) having credit or repute; credible. </DL>
<A NAME="credential">
<B>credential, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> something that gives or recommends credit or confidence. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) His open countenance was his best credential.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> giving or recommending credit or confidence. <BR><I>expr. <B>credentials,</B> </I>letters of introduction; references. <BR> <I>Ex. The new ambassador from England presented his credentials to the President.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="credentialed">
<B>credentialed, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> furnished with credentials; accredited. </DL>
<A NAME="credenza">
<B>credenza, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sideboard or side table; buffet: </DL>
<A NAME="credeutintelligas">
<B>crede ut intelligas,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) believe in order that you may understand. </DL>
<A NAME="credibility">
<B>credibility, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality of being believable. <BR> <I>Ex. Once a physician's credibility is questioned, his status as an expert disappears (Atlantic).</I> (SYN) trustworthiness, dependability. </DL>
<A NAME="credibilitygap">
<B>credibility gap,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a discrepancy between the official statements and the actions of a government, resulting in the loss or weakening of the government's credibility. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. Zurich bankers tend to see a credibility gap between professed aims and actual achievements (London Times). The central failure of the play is a credibility gap between the audience and the characters (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="credible">
<B>credible, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> worthy of belief; believable; reliable; trustworthy. <BR> <I>Ex. That boy's excuse for being absent was hardly credible. It hardly seems credible that your son has grown so tall in one year.</I> noun <B>credibleness.</B> adv. <B>credibly.</B> </DL>
