Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

C

C

.
(sē)
1.
C is the third letter of the English alphabet. It is from the Latin letter C, which in old Latin represented the sounds of k, and g (in go); its original value being the latter. In Anglo-Saxon words, or Old English before the Norman Conquest, it always has the sound of k. The Latin C was the same letter as the Greek Γ, γ, and came from the Greek alphabet. The Greeks got it from the Phœnicians. The English name of C is from the Latin name ce, and was derived, probably, through the French. Etymologically C is related to g, h, k, q, s (and other sibilant sounds). Examples of these relations are in L. acutus, E. acute, ague; E. acrid, eager, vinegar; L. cornu, E. horn; E. cat, kitten; E. coy, quiet; L. circare, OF. cerchier, E. search.
See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 221-228.
2.
(Mus.)
(a)
The keynote of the normal or “natural” scale, which has neither flats nor sharps in its signature; also, the third note of the relative minor scale of the same.
(b)
C after the clef is the mark of common time, in which each measure is a semibreve (four fourths or crotchets); for alla breve time it is written [GREEK].
(c)
The “C clef,” a modification of the letter C, placed on any line of the staff, shows that line to be middle C.
3.
As a numeral, C stands for Latin
centum
or 100, CC for 200, etc.
C spring
,
a spring in the form of the letter C.

Webster 1828 Edition

C

C

, the third letter in the English alphabet, and the second articulation or consonant, is a palatal, nearly corresponding in sound with the Greek x, kappa, and with the Hebrew, caph. It bears a middle place in pronunciation, between the aspirate, and the palatal. It is a Roman character, borrowed from the Gr.x, or from the oriental, which was used in languages written from right to left, and when inverted and the corners rounded, becomes C. In the old Etruscan, it was written with the corners rounded, but not inverted; in Arcadian, C, as now written. That its sound in Latin was the same, or nearly the same, as that of kappa, may be known from the fact, that the Greeks, while the Latin was a living language, wrote kappa for the Roman C. Perhaps the same character may be the basis of the Arabic.
As an abbreviature, C stands for Caius, Carolus, Caesar, condemno, &c., and CC for consulibus. As a numeral C stands for 100; CC for 200; &c. In music, C after the cliff, is the mark of common time.
In English, C has two sounds, or rather it represents two very different articulations of the organs; one close, like K, which occurs before a, o and u; the other, a sibilant, precisely like s, which occurs before E, I and Y. The former is distinguished in this vocabulary by C, which may be called ke. In Russ. C is precisely the English s, as it was in the old Greek alphabet.

Definition 2024

Ç

Ç

Ç U+00C7, Ç
LATIN CAPITAL LETTER C WITH CEDILLA
Composition: C [U+0043] + ̧ [U+0327]
← Æ
[U+00C6] 		Latin-1 Supplement È →
[U+00C8]
See also: Appendix:Variations of "c"

Translingual

Letter

Ç upper case (lower case ç)

  1. The letter C with a cedilla.

See also

Albanian

Letter

Ç ç

  1. The 4th letter of the Albanian alphabet, preceded by C and followed by D, and representing /tʃ/.

Azeri

Letter

Ç upper case (lower case ç)

  1. The fourth letter of the Azeri alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Catalan

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /se trəŋˈkaðə/

Letter

Ç ‎(upper case, lower case ç)

  1. The ce trencada, the letter C with a cedilla, used to represent /s/ before a, o or u. It is not considered a separate letter.

See also

French

Letter

Ç ç

  1. A letter used in writing French, representing /s/.

Kurdish

Letter

Ç ç

  1. The 4th letter of the Kurdish alphabet as used in Turkey, preceded by B and followed by D, and representing /tʃ/.

Manx

Letter

Ç ç

  1. The 4th letter of the Manx alphabet, preceded by C and followed by D, and representing /tʃ/.

Norman

Letter

Ç ç

  1. A letter used in writing Norman representing /s/.

Occitan

Letter

Ç ç

  1. A letter used in writing Occitan, representing /s/.

Portuguese

Letter

Ç ç

  1. A letter used in writing Portuguese, representing /s/.

Spanish

Letter

Ç ‎(upper case, lower case ç)

  1. (obsolete) C with cedilla.

Usage notes

  • Now replaced by the letter Z.

Turkish

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /t͡ʃ/

Letter

Ç ‎(upper case, lower case ç)

  1. The fourth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called çe and written in the Latin script.

See also

Turkmen

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /t͡ʃ/

Letter

Ç ‎(lower case ç)

  1. The third letter of the Turkmen alphabet, called çe and written in the Latin script.

See also

Zazaki

Letter

Ç ç

  1. A letter used in writing Zazaki, representing /s/.

ç

ç

ç U+00E7, ç
LATIN SMALL LETTER C WITH CEDILLA
Composition: c [U+0063] + ̧ [U+0327]
← æ
[U+00E6] 		Latin-1 Supplement è →
[U+00E8]
See also: Appendix:Variations of "c"

Translingual

Letter

ç lower case (upper case Ç)

  1. The letter c with a cedilla.

See also

Symbol

ç

  1. (IPA) voiceless palatal fricative

Albanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /t͡ʃ/

Letter

ç ‎(uppercase Ç)

  1. The fourth letter of the Albanian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Azeri

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tʃe/

Letter

ç lower case (upper case Ç)

  1. The fourth letter of the Azeri alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Catalan

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /se trəŋˈkaðə/

Letter

ç ‎(lower case, upper case Ç)

  1. The ce trencada, the letter c with a cedilla, used to represent /s/ before a, o or u. It is not considered a separate letter.

See also

French

Letter

ç ‎(lower case, upper case Ç)

  1. "c cédille"

Usage notes

Ç is not considered a distinct letter, but a variant of C. It is used where a <c> pronounced /s/ occurs before <a>, <o> or <u> (due to etymology or inflection). Examples: (inflection) commencer (infinitive, “to begin”), commençons (first-person plural indicative present, “we begin”).

Portuguese

Etymology

C + Old Portuguese Ꝣ ‎(“Visigothic z”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /s/

Letter

ç ‎(lower case, upper case Ç)

  1. "c cedilha" (the letter c with a cedilla)

Usage notes

Ç is not considered a distinct letter, but a variant of C. It is used where a <c> pronounced /s/ occurs before <a>, <o> or <u> (due to etymology or inflexion). Examples: (inflexion) caçar (infinitive), cace (imperative). (Etymology) maça from Latin mattia, massa from Latin massa (both /ˈmasa/). Never occurs word-initially.

Spanish

Letter

ç ‎(lower case, upper case Ç)

  1. (obsolete) c with cedilla.

Usage notes

  • Now replaced by the letter z.

Turkish

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /t͡ʃ/

Letter

ç ‎(lower case, upper case Ç)

  1. The fourth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called çe and written in the Latin script.

See also

Turkmen

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /t͡ʃ/

Letter

ç ‎(upper case Ç)

  1. The third letter of the Turkmen alphabet, called çe and written in the Latin script.

See also

Etymology

From the letter C with a subscript z.

Pronunciation

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