Chapter Cag to Calamity of C by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

Cal
(Cal) n. (Cornish Mines) Wolfram, an ore of tungsten. Simmonds.

Calabar
(Cal"a*bar) n. A district on the west coast of Africa.

Calabar bean, The of a climbing legumious plant a native of tropical Africa. It is highly poisonous. It is used to produce contraction of the pupil of the eye; also in tetanus, neuralgia, and rheumatic diseases; — called also ordeal bean, being used by the negroes in trials for witchcraft.

Calabarine
(Cal"a*bar*ine) n. (Chem.) An alkaloid resembling physostigmine and occurring with it in the calabar bean.

Calabash
(Cal"a*bash) n. [Sp. calabaza, or Pg. calabaça, cabaça (cf. F. Calebasse), lit., a dry gourd, fr. Ar. qar', fem., a kind of gourd + aibas dry.]

1. The common gourd

2. The fruit of the calabash tree.

3. A water dipper, bottle, bascket, or other utensil, made from the dry shell of a calabash or gourd.

Calabash tree. (Bot.), a tree of tropical America producing a large gourdlike fruit, containing a purgative pulp. Its hard shell, after the removal of the pulp, is used for cups, bottles, etc. The African calabash tree is the baobab.

Calaboose
(Cal`a*boose") n. [A corruption of Sp. calabozo dungeon.] A prison; a jail. [Local, U. S.]

Calade
(||Ca*lade") n. [F.] A slope or declivity in a manege ground down which a horse is made to gallop, to give suppleness to his haunches.

Caladium
(||Ca*la"di*um) n. [NL.] A genus of aroideous plants, of which some species are cultivated for their immense leaves (which are often curiously blotched with white and red), and others (in Polynesia) for food.

Calaite
(Cal"a*ite) n. [L. callaïs, Gr. ka`lai:s, ka`llai:s; cf. F. calaïte.] A mineral. See Turquoise.

Calamanco
(Cal`a*man"co) n. [LL. calamancus, calamacus; cf. camelaucum; a head covering made of camel's hair, NGr. kamelay`kion, and F. calmande a woolen stuff.] A glossy woolen stuff, plain, striped, or checked. "A gay calamanco waistcoat." Tatler.

Calamander wood
(Cal"a*man`der wood) A valuable furniture wood from India and Ceylon, of a hazel- brown color, with black stripes, very hard in texture. It is a species of ebony, and is obtained from the Diospyros quæsita. Called also Coromandel wood.

Calamar
(Cal"a*mar) Calamary
(Cal"a*ma*ry), (-ma*ryr) n. [LL. calamarium inkstand, fr. L. calamus a reed pen: cf. F. calmar, calemar, pen case, calamar.] (Zoöl.) A cephalopod, belonging to the genus Loligo and related genera. There are many species. They have a sack of inklike fluid which they discharge from the siphon tube, when pursued or alarmed, in order to confuse their enemies. Their shell is a thin horny plate, within the flesh of the back, shaped very much like a quill pen. In America they are called squids. See Squid.

Calambac
(Cal"am*bac) n. [F. calambac, calambour, from Malay Kalambaq a king of fragrant wood.] (Bot.) A fragrant wood; agalloch.

Calambour
(Cal"am*bour) n. [See Calambac.] A species of agalloch, or aloes wood, of a dusky or mottled color, of a light, friable texture, and less fragrant than calambac; — used by cabinetmakers.