c

c

c¹ or C [sē]

n.

pl. C's, c's

1. the third letter of the English alphabet: from the Greek gamma, a borrowing from the Phoenician

2. any of the speech sounds that this letter represents, as, in English, the (s) of cell or (k) of call

3. a type or impression of c or C

4. the third in a sequence or group

5. an object shaped like C

adj.

1. of c or C

2. third in a sequence or group

3. shaped like C

c²

abbrev.

centi-

c³

Physics

symbol

the speed of light in a vacuum: cf. LIGHT¹ (n. 1a)