Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
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Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Chăm, n. p. 215The sovereign prince of Tartary;—usually written khan.Cha-māde', n. p. 215(Mil.) The beat of a drum, or sound of a trumpet, inviting an enemy to a parley. They beat the chamade, and sent us carte blanche. Addison.Chām'ber, n. p. 215A retired room, especially an upper room, used for lodging, privacy, or study. “A bachelor life in chambers.” Thackeray. 2. A compartment or hollow, closed space; as, the chamber of a furnace; the…Chām'ber, v. i. p. 215To reside in or occupy as a chamber. 2. To be wanton; to indulge in lewd or immodest behavior. [Obs.]Chām'ber, v. t. p. 215To shut up, as in a chamber. Shak.Chām'ber-coun'cil, n. p. 215A private or secret council. Shak.Chām'ber-coun'sel or Chām'ber-coun'sel-or, n. p. 215A counselor who gives his opinion in private, or at his chambers, but does not advocate causes in court.Chām'bered, a. p. 215(Conch.) Divided into compartments by walls or partitions; as, a chambered shell. Buckland.Chām'ber-er, n. p. 215One who attends in a chamber; a chambermaid. [Obs.] Chaucer. 2. One who intrigues, or indulges in wantonness. [Obs.] Shak.Chām'ber-fel'low, n. p. 215One who sleeps in the same chamber. Shak.Chăm'ber-hāng'ing, n. p. 215Tapestry or hangings for a chamber.Chām'ber-ing, n. p. 215Wanton, lewd, immodest behavior. [Obs.] Rom. xiii. 13.Chām'ber-lain, n. p. 215An attendant who has the charge of the chambers, as in a large house or hotel. Nares. 2. An officer having the direction and management of the private chambers of a nobleman or monarch; hence, in…Chām'ber-lain-shĭp, n. p. 215The office of a chamberlain.Chām'ber-lȳe, n. p. 215Urine. Shak.Chām'ber-māid, n. p. 215A woman who has the care of chambers, making the beds, and cleaning the rooms, or who dresses a lady, and waits upon her in her apartment.Chām'ber-pŏt, n. p. 215A vessel used in bed-rooms.Chām'ber-prāc'tīce, n. p. 215(Law.) The practice of counselors at law, who give their opinions in private, but do not appear in court.Chăm'brel, n. p. 215The joint or bending at the middle of a horse's hind leg; the gambrel.Cha-mē'le-on, n. p. 215(Zoöl.) A lizard-like reptile of the genus Chamæleo. The skin is without scales, but is covered with fine granulations; the tail is prehensile, and the body is much compressed, giving it a high back.…Cha-mē'le-on-īze, v. t. p. 216To change into various colors.Chăm'fer, v. t. p. 216(Carp.) To cut a furrow in, as in a column; to groove; to channel; to flute. 2. To cut or grind in a sloping manner, as the edge of any thing originally right-angled; to bevel.Chām’fer or Chām’fret, n. p. 216(Carp.) A small gutter, or furrow, cut in wood, or other hard material; a groove. 2. A slope or bevel produced by cutting off the edge of any thing originally right-angled.Chăm’frain or Chăm’fron, n. p. 216(Anc. Armor.) The frontlet of a barded or armed horse, usually having a spike between the eyes. [Written also champ-frein.] Nares. Fosbroke.Chăm'let, n. p. 216See CAMLET.Chăm’ois, n. p. 216(Zoöl.) A species of antelope (Rupicapra Trag-us), living on the loftiest mountain ridges of Europe, as the Alps, Pyrenees, &c. It possesses remarkable agility in ascending and descending difficult…Chăm'o-mīle, n. p. 216(Bot.) A plant of the genus Anthemis. See CAMOMILE.Chămp, v. t. p. 216To bite with repeated action of the teeth. “Foamed, and champed the golden bit.” Dryden. 2. To bite into small pieces; to crush; as, to champ up the pieces of a tobacco-pipe. Steele.Chăm'p, v. i. p. 216To bite frequently. “They began irefully to champ upon the bit.” Hooker.Chām'p or Chām'pe, n. p. 216(Arch.) The field or ground on which carving is raised. Oxf. Glos.Cham-pāigne', n. p. 216A kind of brisk, sparkling wine, from Champagne, in France.Cham-pāign′, n. p. 216A flat, open country. “[A] fair champaign, with less rivers inter-vained.” Milton. “Through Alpine vale or champaign wide.” Wordsworth. Cham-pāign′ (sham-pān′) (Synop., § 130), a. Characterized by…Cham-pāin', n. p. 216(Her.) A mark of dishonor in the coat of arms of one who has killed a prisoner of war after he has asked for quarter. It is also called point-champain.Chăm'p'er, n. p. 216One who champs, or bites.Chăm'per-tor, n. p. 216(Law.) One who purchases a suit, or the right of suing, and carries it on at his own expense; in order to obtain a share of the gain.Chām’per-ty, n. p. 216(Law.) An agreement by a stranger, having otherwise no interest, with the plaintiff or defendant in a suit, to supply money, services, information, or evidence, by which to aid in maintaining and…Cham-pĭgn'on, n. p. 216(Bot.) A species of the edible mushroom (Psalliota campestris), often cultivated for the table. Loudon.Chăm'pi-on, n. p. 216One who engages in any contest; especially one who contends in behalf of another in single combat. “Champions of law and liberty.” Fisher Ames. A stouter champion never handled sword. Shak. 2. One…Chăm'pi-on, v. t. p. 216To challenge to a combat. [Obs.] Shak. 2. To furnish with a champion; to attend as champion. Championed or unchampioned, thou diest by the stake or fagot. H. Scott.Chăm'pi-on-ess, n. p. 216A female champion. Fairfax.Chăm'pi-on-ship, n. p. 216State of being a champion.Chance, n. p. 216The absence of any defined or recognized cause; fortuity; casualty. It is strictly and philosophically true in nature and reason, that there is no such thing as chance or accident; it being evident…Chȧnçe, v. i. p. 216To happen, come, or arrive, without design or expectation. If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee. Deut. xxii.Chȧnçe, a. p. 216Happening by chance; casual.Chȧnçe, adv. p. 216By chance; perchance.Chȧnçe'a-ble, a. p. 216Fortuitous; casual. [Obs.] The riches be chanceable unto us, but not unto God. Latimer.Chănce'a-bly, adv. p. 216By chance; casually.Chȧnçe'-cȯm'er, n. p. 216One who comes unexpectedly. Addison.Chȧnçe'ful, a. p. 216Hazardous. [Obs.] Spenser.Chăn'çel, n. p. 216That part of a church, between the altar, or communion table, and the balustrade, or railing, that incloses it, or that part where the altar is placed; formerly inclosed with lattices, or cross-bars…Chȧn'çel-lor, n. p. 216A judicial officer of high rank; the president, or chief judge, of a court of chancery. The chancellor was originally a chief notary or scribe under the Roman emperors, but afterward endowed with…Chân'çel·lor·ship, n. p. 216The office of a chancellor; the time during which one is chancellor.Chănçe'-mĕd'ley, n. p. 216(Law.) The killing of another in self-defense upon a sudden and unpremeditated encounter. ☞ The term has been sometimes applied to any kind of homicide by misadventure, or to any accidental killing…Chăn'cer-y, n. p. 216The highest court of judicature next to the parliament. It exercises jurisdiction at law, but chiefly in equity. [Eng.] 2. A court of equity; equity; proceedings in equity. [U. S.] ☞ A court of…Chăn'cre, n. p. 216An ulcer, especially a venereal sore. Dunglison.Chăn'creous, a. p. 216Having the qualities of a chancre; ulcerous.Chăn'de-lēer', n. p. 216A frame with branches to hold a number of lights for the purpose of illumination. 2. (Fort.) A movable parapet, serving to support fascines to cover pioneers. [Obs.]Chănd'ler, n. p. 216A manufacturer of, or dealer in, candles. The chandler's basket, on his shoulder borne, With tallow spots thy coat. Gay. 2. A dealer in other commodities, which are indicated by a word prefixed; as…Chăn'dler-ly, adv. p. 216Like a chandler. [Obs.] Milton.Chând'ler-y, n. p. 216The commodities sold by a chandler.