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cabossed/caboshed used of a full-faced animal head cut off just above the neck

cabrée, effray or salient used of a horse rising on its hind legs

cadency used of younger sons or descent from a junior branch of the family

caduceus a wand with two snakes entwined round it

caltrap, galtrap or chevaltrap an iron weapon used to wound horses' hooves, its spikes being positioned so that however it lies on the ground one will always point upwards

Calvary or passion cross a cross with three steps

canting arms arms which include a punning allusion to the name of the bearer

canton corner division occupying one third of the chief

cartouche an oval, formerly used to show armorials of Popes and other clerics

cap of maintenance or dignity, or chapeau headgear of crimson velvet doubled ermine

caparison the trappings of a warhorse carbuncle (see escarbuncle)

casque a helmet

castle shown in heraldry as two towers at either end of a wall, the latter embattled and with a gateway 

cat-a-mountain a wild cat, always drawn guardant

celestial crown an eastern or antique crown with a star on each point

cercellée (see recercellée)

chain-shot bullets linked by a chain

chamber piece a short piece of artillery without a gun carriage (see mortar)

chapeau (see cap of maintenance)

chaplet a garland of flowers and leaves charge a figure or device on a shield

charged used of a field or ordinaries with a device on them 

chaussé shod

chequy or checky used of a field covered with small squares of alternate tinctures

chevron a division of a shield shaped like the lower half of a saltire and occupying one third or one fifth of the area, according to whether it is charged or not

chevronel half-size diminutive of chevron chief the upper third of a shield

chimera a monster with a woman's face, a lion's mane and legs, a goat's body and a dragon's tail 

cinquefoil a five-petalled flower

civic wreath or a garland of oak leaves and acorns crown

clarion or claricord a rest for a lance

clenched used of a closed hand closet diminutive of bar

cockatrice a monster with a bird's wings and legs and a snake's tail

colour in its specialised heraldic meaning, one of three types of tincture

combatant fighting or rampant face to face

compony and compony counter compony used of an ordinary made up of one (compony) or two (counter-compony) rows of alternate squares of metals and colours

confronté facing each other conjoined joined together

conjoined in used of two wings joined together, their tips downwards lure

contourné used of an animal facing to the sinister 

corbie a raven

corded an ordinary or charge bound with cords

cotised or cottised (in French a bande diminuée qui cotoye un autre bande) a diminutive of the bend, a quarter of its breadth and one half of the width of the bendlet, generally borne in couples with a bend or charge between them. Two together are termed couses, but when one is on each side of the fess or bend they are usually termed a bend or fess cotised

couchant used of an animal lying down

couché used of a shield suspended by one corner from a belt

counter-changed used of a field divided by a bend or other ordinary in which the charges in each section are of the colour or metal of the field of the other section

counter-embowed bent with the elbow to the sinister or bent in a reverse direction

counterflory a tressure fiory in which the alternate fleurs-de-lys are reversed

counter-potent one of the heraldic furs in which the heads of the T -shaped sections are juxtaposed (see potent)

counter-vair differs from vair in that the rows of shields are arranged base against base and point against point

couped term used when the head or limb of an animal or any other charge is cut off by an even line

couple-close a diminutive of the chevron and often borne with it as the cotise is borne with the bend; it contains a quarter of the chevron and is always borne in pairs

courant running

coward used of an animal when drawn with its tail between its legs

cramp a piece of iron turned up at each end usually borne in pairs

crampet, crampit, chape or batterolle the steel mounting at the bottom of a scabbard

crenellée (see embattled)

crescent differs from the increscent and the decrescent in having its horns turned towards the chief of the shield

crest heraldic device originally borne on top of a helmet, particularly in tournaments, but latterly used to decorate signet rings, cutlery, plate, crockery etc. as a mark of ownership by a family. Frequently misused nowadays to mean achievement. or the entire coat of arms rather than just a part of it.

crined used to describe the beard or hair when different in colour from the body

cronel the iron head of a tilting-spear 

crozier the staff of a prelate

crusily used when the field or charge is strewn with crosses

cubit arm an arm with the hand attached, couped at the elbow

cuisses armour covering the thighs and knees

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