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co-star
Co·si fan tut·te /ˌkəʊsi fæn ˈtʊti‖ˌkəˌsiː faːn ˈtʊteɪ/ a
humorous OPERA by MOZART in which two men play a trick
on the two sisters they love in order to test whether the
women really love, them and will be faithful to them
co·sig·na·to·ry /ˌkəʊsɪgnəˈtːriˌkɑːs-/ n fml a person sign-
ing together with others, often for an organization, country
etc: Britain, France, and Germany were all cosignatories of/to
the agreement.
co·si·ly /ˈkəzɪli/ adv in a COSY way
co·sine /ˈkəʊsaɪn/ n tech the FRACTION calculated for an angle
by dividing the length of the side next to it in a RIGHT-
ANGLED TRIANGLE by the length of the side opposite the
right angle → compare SINE, TANGENT
co·si·ness /ˈkəʊzɪnɪs/ n [U] the condition of being COSY
cos let·tuce /ˌkɒs letɪsˌkɑs-, ˌkɑʊs-/ BrE || romaine
lettuce especially AmE – n a LETTUCE with long leaves
cos·met·ic1 /kɒzˈmetk‖kɑːz-/ n [usually pl.] any substance,
such as a face-cream or body-powder, that is intended to
make the skin or hair more beautiful: They sell lipstick, hair
gel, and a whole range of other cosmetics. | the cosmetics
industry | cruelty-free cosmetics → see also MAKE-UP
cosmetic2 adj 1 [A] intended to make the skin or hair more
beautiful: a cosmetic cream 2 derog dealing only with the
outside appearance rather than the central part of something;
SUPERFICIAL: These changes in the law are purely cosmetic and
do nothing to deal with the real problem. | a few cosmetic
repairs to the house
cos·me·ti·cian /ˌkɒzməˈtɪʃənˌkɑz-/ n a person profes-
sionally trained in the use of cosmetics
cos,metic 'surgery n [U] medical operations performed to
change a person's appearance, for example to improve the
shape of their nose or to enlarge their breasts → compare
PLASTIC SURGERY
CULTURAL NOTE Cosmetic surgery is more common in the
US than in the UK, and in both countries it is expensive. It
is known as something famous people do, but it is also
becoming more common for ordinary people to have
cosmetic surgery. In the US especially, it is even becoming
quite common for people to have certain treatment, such
as BOTOX INJECTIONS (=that freeze some muscles in your
face so that there are no lines) during their lunch break.
cos·mic /ˈkzmɪk‖kɑːz-/ adj of or found in space or the
universe: Planets were formed out of cosmic dust. | (fig.) a
scandal of cosmic (=extremely large) proportions → -ally /kli/
adv
cosmic 'ray n [usually pl.] a stream of RADIATION reaching the
Earth from outer space
Cos·mo /ˈkɒzməʊ‖ˈkɑːz-/ an informal name for the maga-
zine COSMOPOLITAN
cos·mog·o·ny /kɒzˈmɒgənɪ‖ˈkɑːzˈmɑ-/ n [C;U] fml (a set of
ideas about) the origin of the universe: primitive cosmogonies
cos·mol·o·gy /kɒzˈmɒlədʒɪ‖kɑːzˈmɑː-/ n [U] the science of
the origin and structure of the universe, especially as studied
in ASTRONOMY
cos·mo·naut /ˈkɒzmənɔːt‖ˈkɑzmənɑːt, -nɑːt/ n a Soviet
ASTRONAUT
cos·mo·pol·i·tan1 /ˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən ‖ ˌkɑːzməˈpɑː-/ adj
1 consisting of people from many different parts of the
world: London is a very cosmopolitan city 2 (of a person,
belief, opinion etc) not narrow-minded; showing wide expe-
rience of different people and places: She has a very cosmo-
politan outlook on life. 3 tech (of an animal or plant) existing
in most parts of the world
cosmopolitan2 n usually apprec a person who has travelled
widely and feels equally at home everywhere
Cosmopolitan also Cosmo infml – trademark a monthly
magazine for women, which is produced in separate EDITIONS
in the US, the UK, and many other countries. It is aimed at
young modern independent women and deals with subjects
such as fashion, work, and sex.
cos·mos /ˈkɒzmɒsˈkɑːzmɑːs/ n [the S] the whole universe
considered as an ordered system
Cos·sack /ˈkɒsæk‖ˈkɑːs-/ n a member of a people who lived
on the plains of southern Russia and Ukraine, famous for
their skill at fighting and at riding horses, and for their
special way of dancing with the knees bent, the body low,
and the arms folded in front of the body. → Cossack adj:
Cossack horsemen
cos·set /ˈkɒsɪt‖ˈkɑː-/ v -tt- [I] to pay a great deal of
attention to making (a person) comfortable and happy; PAM-
PER: These farmers have been cosseted for years by generous
government subsidies.
cost1 /kɒst‖kɔːst/ n 1 [C] the amount of money paid or
needed for buying, doing, or producing something: the high
cost of renting a house in central London | The students are
given £150 a year to cover the cost of books and stationery. |
High production costs lead to high prices in the shops. | The
cost of policing the demonstration will be met/borne by the
local council. | The dealer said he would sell me the car at
cost. (=at the same price he paid) 2 [C;U] something needed,
given, or lost, in order to obtain something: He saved the
children from the fire at the cost of his own life. (=but he
died) | We must avoid war at all costs/whatever the cost.
(=it is extremely important to avoid war) 3 to one's cost
from your own unpleasant experience: As I learned to my
cost when I was ill in New York, you should always take out
medical insurance before you go abroad. → see also COSTS,
count the cost (COUNT); see COST (USAGE)
cost2 v cost 1 [L+[obj]+n] to have (an amount of money) as a
price: a powerful new computer costing over $10,000 | 'How
much do these shoes cost?' 'They cost £30.' | It's costing me a
small fortune (=a lot) to send the children on holiday. |
Champagne costs the earth. (=is very expensive) | High
unemployment costs the government billions of pounds in lost
taxes. I (fig.) The mistake cost him his job. 2 [T no pass.] infml to
be expensive for (someone): It will cost you to go by train;
why not go by bus? 3 [T] past tense and past participle costed to
calculate the price to be charged for (a job, someone's time
etc): The builder costed the job at £150. 4 cost an arm and a
leg to have a very high or too high price
Compare price, cost, and charge. When talking
about the money needed to buy a particular object, the
usual word is price: What is the price of this watch?
Cost (n) is like price but is used less for objects, and
more a for services: the cost of having the house painted
b for general things: the cost of living | the cost of food.
The amount of money you pay for something is what it
costs (v) you: How much did this watch cost you? The
person who is selling goods or services to you charges
you for them: How much did he charge you for repairing
the car? Charge (n) means 'a sum of money demanded,
especially for allowing someone to do something': There
will be a small charge for admission to the museum.
Cos·ta /ˈkɒstə‖ˈkɑːs-/ n BrE used humorously, especially in
newspapers, when describing a place on the coast that has
particular characteristics: the Costa del crime | The town is
part of the Costa geriatrica on England's south coast. (=many
old people live there)
Costa Bra·va, the /ˌkɒstə ˈbrɑːvə‖ˌkɑːs-/ the coast of
eastern Spain, between Barcelona and the border with
France. It is a popular area for British tourists to go for
inexpensive holidays.
Costa del Crime, the /ˌkɒstə del ˈkraɪm‖ˌkɑːs-/ a
humorous name for the COSTA DEL SOL in Spain, which some
people in the UK think of as a place where successful British
criminals go to live. The expression is less often used now
because since 1985 Spanish police have had the legal power
to send British criminals living in Spain back to the UK so
that they can be judged in a court of law.
Costa del Sol, the /ˌkɒstə del ˈsɒl‖ˌkɑːstə del ˈsəʊl/ a
name for part of the Mediterranean Sea coast in southern
Spain, especially the areas in and around Malaga and Mar-
bella, that is very popular with tourists
Costa Ger·i·at·ri·ca, the /ˌkɒstə dʒəriˈætrɪkəˌkɑːs-/ a
humorous name for parts of the British south coast, where
many old people go to live when they have stopped working
co·star1 /ˈkə stɑːr/ n a famous actor or actress who appears
with another famous actor or actress in a film or play
co·star2 v -rr- 1 [{[with]}] to appear as a co-star: It's the first
time she's co-starred with Robert Redford. 2 [T] (of a film or
play) to have as co-stars: 'Gone with the Wind', the classic
movie co-starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable