COAT n.
15th and 16th centuries. This was often charged with the heraldic bearings of the wearer. Hence, an heraldic achievement; the bearings of any person, taken together. -- Coat card, a card bearing a coated figure; the king, queen, or knave of playing cards. "`I am a coat card indeed.' `Then thou must needs be a knave, f…
COGNIZANCE n.
ark worn by an armed knight, usually upon the helmet, and by his retainers and followers: Hence, in general, a badge worn by a retainer or dependent, to indicate the person or party to which he belonged; a token by which a thing may be known. Wearing the liveries and cognizance of their master. Prescott. This pale and…
COLLATERAL a.
Related to, but not strictly a part of, the main thing or matter under consideration; hence, subordinate; not chief or principal; as, collateral interest; collateral issues. That he [Attebury] was altogether in the wrong on the main question, and on all the collateral questions springing out of it, . . . is true. Macau…
COLLOQUIAL a.
ning to, or used in, conversation, esp. common and familiar conversation; conversational; hence, unstudied; informal; as, colloquial intercourse; colloquial phrases; a colloquial style. -- Col*lo"qui*al*ly, adv. His [Johnson's] colloquial talents were, indeed, of the highest order. Macaulay.
COMMUTE v.
aller penalty, obligation, or payment, for a greater, or a single thing for an aggregate; hence; to lessen; to diminish; as, to commute a sentence of death to one of imprisonment for life; to commute tithes; to commute charges for fares. The sounds water and fire, being once annexed to those two elements, it was certai…