1. To bite with repeated action of the teeth so as to be heard. Foamed and champed the golden bit. Dryden.
2. To bite into small pieces; to crunch. Steele.
CHAMPChamp, v. i.
Defn: To bite or chew impatiently.They began . . . irefully to champ upon the bit. Hooker.
CHAMP; CHAMPEChamp, Champe, n. Etym: [F. champ, L. campus field.] (Arch.)
Defn: The field or ground on which carving appears in relief.
CHAMPAGNECham*pagne", n. Etym: [F. See Champaign.]
Defn: A light wine, of several kinds, originally made in the province of Champagne, in France.
Note: Champagne properly includes several kinds not only of sparkling but off still wines; but in America the term is usually restricted to wines which effervesce.
CHAMPAIGNCham*paign", n. Etym: [OF. champaigne; same word as campagne.]
Defn: A flat, open country.Fair champaign, with less rivers interveined. Milton.Through Apline vale or champaign wide. Wordsworth.
CHAMPAIGNCham*paign", a.
Defn: Flat; open; level.A wide, champaign country, filled with herds. Addison.
CHAMPERChamp"er, n.
Defn: One who champs, or bites.
CHAMPERTOR Cham"per*tor, n. Etym: [F. champarteur a divider of fields or field rent. See Champerty.] (Law)
Defn: One guilty of champerty; 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.
CHAMPERTYCham"per*ty, n. Etym: [F. champart field rent, L. campipars; champ(L. campus) field + part (L. pars) share.]
1. Partnership in power; equal share of authority. [Obs.] Beauté ne sleighte, strengthe ne hardyness, Ne may with Venus holde champartye. Chaucer.
2. (Law)
Defn: The prosecution or defense of a suit, whether by furnishing money or personal services, by one who has no legitimate concern therein, in consideration of an agreement that he shall receive, in the event of success, a share of the matter in suit; maintenance with the addition of an agreement to divide the thing in suit. See Maintenance.
Note: By many authorities champerty is defined as an agreement of this nature. From early times the offence of champerty has been forbidden and punishable.
CHAMPIGNON Cham*pi"gnon, n. Etym: [F., a mushroom, ultimately fr. L. campus field. See Camp.] (Bot.)
Defn: An edible species of mushroom (Agaricus campestris). Fairy ring champignon, the Marasmius oreades, which has a strong flavor but is edible.
CHAMPION Cham"pi*on, n. Etym: [F. champion, fr. LL.campio, of German origin; cf. OHG. chempho, chemphio, fighter, champf, G. kampf, contest; perh. influenced by L. campus field, taken in the sense of "field of battle."]
1. One who engages in any contest; esp. one who in ancient times contended in single combat in behalf of another's honor or rights; or one who acts or speaks in behalf of a person or a cause; a defender; an advocate; a hero. A stouter champion never handled sword. Shak. Champions of law and liberty. Fisher Ames.
2. One who by defeating all rivals, has obtained an acknowledged supremacy in any branch of athetics or game of skill, and is ready to contend with any rival; as, the champion of England.
Note: Champion is used attributively in the sense of surpassing all competitors; overmastering; as, champion pugilist; champion chess player.
Syn.— Leader; chieftain; combatant; hero; warrior; defender; protector.
CHAMPIONCham"pi*on, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Championed; p. pr. & vb. n.Championing.] [Obs.] Shak.
2. To furnish with a champion; to attend or defend as champion; to support or maintain; to protect. Championed or unchampioned, thou diest. Sir W. Scott.
CHAMPIONNESSCham"pi*on*ness, n.
Defn: A female champion. Fairfax.
CHAMPIONSHIPCham"pi*on*ship, n.
Defn: State of being champion; leadership; supremancy.
CHAMPLAIN PERIODCham*plain" pe"ri*od. (Geol.)
Defn: A subdivision of the Quaternary age immediately following theGlacial period; — so named from beds near Lake Champlain.
Note: The earlier deposits of this period are diluvial in character, as if formed in connection with floods attending the melting of the glaciers, while the later deposits are of finer material in more quiet waters, as the alluvium.
CHAMPLEVEChamp`le*vé", a. [F., p. p. of champlever to engrave. See 3d Champ,Camp, Lever a bar.] (Art)
Defn: Having the ground engraved or cut out in the parts to be enameled; inlaid in depressions made in the ground; — said of a kind of enamel work in which depressions made in the surface are filled with enamel pastes, which are afterward fired; also, designating the process of making such enamel work. —n.
Defn: A piece of champlevé enamel; also, the process or art of making such enamel work; champlevé work.
CHAMSINCham*sin", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: See Kamsin.
CHANCE Chance, n. Etym: [F. chance, OF. cheance, fr. LL. cadentia a allusion to the falling of the dice), fr. L. cadere to fall; akin to Skr. çad to fall, L. cedere to yield, E. cede. Cf. Cadence.]
1. A supposed material or psychical agent or mode of activity other than a force, law, or purpose; fortune; fate; — in this sense often personifed. It is strictly and philosophically true in nature and reason that there is no such thing as chance or accident; it being evident that these words do not signify anything really existing, anything that is truly an agent or the cause of any event; but they signify merely men's ignorance of the real and immediate cause. Samuel Clark. Any society into which chance might throw him. Macaulay. That power Which erring men call Chance. Milton.
2. The operation or activity of such agent. By chance a priest came down that way. Luke x. 31.
3. The supposed effect of such an agent; something that befalls, as the result of unknown or unconsidered forces; the issue of uncertain conditions; an event not calculated upon; an unexpected occurrence; a happening; accident; fortuity; casualty. It was a chance that happened to us. 1 Sam. vi. 9. The Knave of Diamonds tries his wily arts, And wins (O shameful chance!) the Queen of Hearts. Pope. I spake of most disastrous chance. Shak.
4. A possibity; a likelihood; an opportunity; — with reference to a doubtful result; as, a chance result; as, a chance to escape; a chance for life; the chances are all against him. So weary with disasters, tugged with fortune. That I would get my life on any chance, To mend it, or be rid on't Shak.
5. (Math.)
Defn: Probability.
Note: The mathematical expression, of a chance is the ratio of frequency with which an event happens in the long run. If an event may happen in a ways and may fail in b ways, and each of these a + b ways is equally likely, the chance, or probability, that the event will happen is measured by the fraction a/(a + b), and the chance, or probability, that it will fail is measured by b/(a + b). Chance comer, one who, comes unexpectedly. — The last chance, the sole remaining ground of hope. — The main chance, the chief opportunity; that upon which reliance is had, esp. self-interest. — Theory of chances, Doctrine of chances (Math.), that branch of mathematics which treats of the probability of the occurrence of particular events, as the fall of dice in given positions. — To mind one's chances, to take advantage of every circumstance; to seize every opportunity.
CHANCEChance, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chanced; p. pr. & vb. n. Chancing.]
Defn: To happen, come, or arrive, without design or expectation."Things that chance daily." Robynson (More's Utopia).If a bird's nest chance to be before thee. Deut. xxii. 6.I chanced on this letter. Shak.
Note: Often used impersonally; as, how chances itHow chance, thou art returned so soon Shak.
CHANCEChance, v. t.
1. To take the chances of; to venture upon; — usually with it as object. Come what will, I will chance it. W. D. Howells.
2. To befall; to happen to. [Obs.] W. Lambarde.
CHANCEChance, a.
Defn: Happening by chance; casual.
CHANCEChance, adv.
Defn: By chance; perchance. Gray.
CHANCEABLEChance"a*ble, a.
Defn: Fortuitous; casual. [Obs.]
CHANCEABLYChance"a*bly, adv.
Defn: By chance. [Obs.]
CHANCEFULChance"ful, a.
Defn: Hazardous. [Obs.] Spenser.
CHANCEL Chan"cel, n. Etym: [OF. chancel, F. chanceau, cancel, fr. L. cancelli lattices, crossbars. (The chancel was formerly inclosed with lattices or crossbars) See Cancel, v. t.] (Arch.) (a) That part of a church, reserved for the use of the clergy, where the altar, or communion table, is placed. Hence, in modern use; (b) All that part of a cruciform church which is beyond the line of the transept farthest from the main front. Chancel aisle (Arch.), the aisle which passes on either side of or around the chancel. — Chancel arch (Arch.), the arch which spans the main opening, leading to the chancel — Chancel casement, the principal window in a chancel. Tennyson. — Chancel table, the communion table.
CHANCELLERYChan"cel*ler*y, n. Etym: [Cf. Chancery.]
Defn: Chancellorship. [Obs.] Gower.
CHANCELLOR Chan"cel*lor, n. Etym: [OE. canceler, chaunceler, F. chancelier, LL. cancellarius chancellor, a director of chancery, fr. L. cancelli lattices, crossbars, which surrounded the seat of judgment. See Chancel.]
Defn: A judicial court of chancery, which in England and in theUnited States is distinctively a court with equity jurisdiction.
Note: The chancellor was originally a chief scribe or secretary under the Roman emperors, but afterward was invested with judicial powers, and had superintendence over the other officers of the empire. From the Roman empire this office passed to the church, and every bishop has his chancellor, the principal judge of his consistory. In later times, in most countries of Europe, the chancellor was a high officer of state, keeper of the great seal of the kingdom, and having the supervision of all charters, and like public instruments of the crown, which were authenticated in the most solemn manner. In France a secretary is in some cases called a chancellor. In Scotland, the appellation is given to the foreman of a jury, or assize. In the present German empire, the chancellor is the president of the federal council and the head of the imperial administration. In the United States, the title is given to certain judges of courts of chancery or equity, established by the statutes of separate States. Blackstone. Wharton. Chancellor of a bishop, or of a diocese (R. C. Ch. & ch. of Eng.), a law officer appointed to hold the bishop's court in his diocese, and to assist him in matter of ecclesiastical law. — Chancellor of a cathedral, one of the four chief dignitaries of the cathedrals of the old foundation, and an officer whose duties are chiefly educational, with special reference to the cultivation of theology. — Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, an officer before whom, or his deputy, the court of the duchy chamber of Lancaster is held. This is a special jurisdiction. — Chancellor of a university, the chief officer of a collegiate body. In Oxford, he is elected for life; in Cambridge, for a term of years; and his office is honorary, the chief duties of it devolving on the vice chancellor. — Chancellor of the exchequer, a member of the British cabinet upon whom devolves the charge of the public income and expenditure as the highest finance minister of the government. — Chancellor of the order of the Garter (or other military orders), an officer who seals the commissions and mandates of the chapter and assembly of the knights, keeps the register of their proceedings, and delivers their acts under the seal of their order. — Lord high chancellor of England, the presiding judge in the court of chancery, the highest judicial officer of the crown, and the first lay person of the state after the blood royal. He is created chancellor by the delivery into his custody of the great seal, of which he becomes keeper. He is privy counselor by his office, and prolocutor of the House of Lords by prescription.
CHANCELLORSHIPChan"cel*lor*ship, n.
Defn: The office of a chancellor; the time during which one is chancellor.
CHANCE-MEDLEYChance"-med`ley, n. Etym: [Chance + medley.]
1. (Law)
Defn: The kiling of another in self-defense upon a sudden and unpremeditated encounter. See Chaud-Medley.
Note: The term has been sometimes applied to any kind of homicide by misadventure, or to any accidental killing of a person without premeditation or evil intent, but, in strictness, is applicable to such killing as happens in defending one's self against assault. Bouvier.
2. Luck; chance; accident. Milton. Cowper.
CHANCERY Chan"cer*y, n. Etym: [F. chancellerie, LL. cancellaria, from L. cancellarius. See Chancellor, and cf. Chancellery.]
1. In England, formerly, the highest court of judicature next to the Parliament, exercising jurisdiction at law, but chiefly in equity; but under the jurisdiction act of 1873 it became the chancery division of the High Court of Justice, and now exercises jurisdiction only in equity.
2. In the Unites States, a court of equity; equity; proceeding in equity.
Note: A court of chancery, so far as it is a court of equity, in the English and American sense, may be generally, if not precisely, described as one having jurisdiction in cases of rights, recognized and protected by the municipal jurisprudence, where a plain, adequate, and complete remedy can not be had in the courts of common law. In some of the American States, jurisdiction at law and in equity centers in the same tribunal. The courts of the United States also have jurisdiction both at law and in equity, and in all such cases they exercise their jurisdiction, as courts of law, or as courts of equity, as the subject of adjudication may require. In others of the American States, the courts that administer equity are distinct tribunals, having their appropriate judicial officers, and it is to the latter that the appellation courts of chancery is usually applied; but, in American law, the terms equity and court of equity are more frequently employed than the corresponding terms chancery and court of chancery. Burrill. Inns of chancery. See under Inn. — To get (or to hold) In chancery (Boxing), to get the head of an antagonist under one's arm, so that one can pommel it with the other fist at will; hence, to have wholly in One's power. The allusion is to the condition of a person involved in the chancery court, where he was helpless, while the lawyers lived upon his estate.
CHANCREChan"cre, n. Etym: [F. chancere. See Cancer.] (Med.)
Defn: A venereal sore or ulcer; specifically, the initial lesion of true syphilis, whether forming a distinct ulcer or not; — called also hard chancre, indurated chancre, and Hunterian chancre. Soft chancre. A chancroid. See Chancroid.
CHANCROIDChan"croid, n. Etym: [Chancre + -oil.] (Med.)
Defn: A venereal sore, resembling a chancre in its seat and some external characters, but differing from it in being the starting point of a purely local process and never of a systemic disease; — called also soft chancre.
CHANCROUSChan"crous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. chancreux.] (Med.)
Defn: Of the nature of a chancre; having chancre.
CHANDELIERChan`de*lier", n. Etym: [F. See Chandler.]
1. A candlestick, lamp, stand, gas fixture, or the like, having several branches; esp., one hanging from the ceiling.
2. (Fort.)
Defn: A movable parapet, serving to support fascines to cover pioneers. [Obs.]
CHANDLERChan"dler, n. Etym: [F. chandelier a candlestick, a maker or sellerof candles, LL. candelarius chandler, fr. L. candela candle. SeeCandle, and cf. Chandelier.]
1. A maker or seller of 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, ship chandler, corn chandler.
CHANDLERLYChan"dler*ly, a.
Defn: Like a chandler; in a petty way. [Obs.] Milton.
CHANDLERYChan"dler*y, n.
Defn: Commodities sold by a chandler.
CHANDOOChan*doo", n.
Defn: An extract or preparation of opium, used in China and India for smoking. Balfour.
CHANDRYChan"dry, n.
Defn: Chandlery. [Obs.] "Torches from the chandry." B. Jonson.
CHANFRINChan"frin, n. Etym: [F. chanfrein. Cf. Chamfron.]
Defn: The fore part of a horse's head.
CHANGEChange, v. t. [Imp. & p. p. Changed; p. pr. & vb. n. Changing.] Etym:[F. changer, fr. LL. cambiare, to exchange, barter, L. cambire. Cf.Cambial.]
1. To alter; to make different; to cause to pass from one state to another; as, to change the position, character, or appearance of a thing; to change the countenance. Therefore will I change their glory into shame. Hosea. iv. 7.
2. To alter by substituting something else for, or by giving up for something else; as, to change the clothes; to change one's occupation; to change one's intention. They that do change old love for new, Pray gods, they change for worse! Peele.
3. To give and take reciprocally; to exchange; — followed by with; as, to change place, or hats, or money, with another. Look upon those thousands with whom thou wouldst not, for any interest, change thy fortune and condition. Jer. Taylor.
4. Specifically: To give, or receive, smaller denominations of money (technically called change) for; as, to change a gold coin or a bank bill. He pulled out a thirty-pound note and bid me change it. Goldsmith. To change a horse, or To change hand (Man.), to turn or bear the horse's head from one hand to the other, from the left to right, or from the right to the left. — To change hands, to change owners. — To change one's tune, to become less confident or boastful. [Colloq.] — To change step, to take a break in the regular succession of steps, in marching or walking, as by bringing the hollow of one foot against the heel of the other, and then stepping off with the foot which is in advance.
Syn. — To alter; vary; deviate; substitute; innovate; diversify; shift; veer; turn. See Alter.
CHANGEChange, v. i.
1. To be altered; to undergo variation; as, men sometimes change for the better. For I am Lord, I change not. Mal. iii. 6.
2. To pass from one phase to another; as, the moon changes to-morrow night.
CHANGEChange, n. Etym: [F. change, fr. changer. See Change. v. t.]
1. Any variation or alteration; a passing from one state or form to another; as, a change of countenance; a change of habits or principles. Apprehensions of a change of dynasty. Hallam. All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Job xiv. 14.
2. A succesion or substitution of one thing in the place of another; a difference; novelty; variety; as, a change of seasons. Our fathers did for change to France repair. Dryden. The ringing grooves of change. Tennyson.
3. A passing from one phase to another; as, a change of the moon.
4. Alteration in the order of a series; permutation.
5. That which makes a variety, or may be substituted for another. Thirty change (R.V. changes) of garments. Judg. xiv. 12.
6. Small money; the money by means of which the larger coins and bank bills are made available in small dealings; hence, the balance returned when payment is tendered by a coin or note exceeding the sum due.
7. Etym: [See Exchange.]
Defn: A place where merchants and others meet to transact business; a building appropriated for mercantile transactions. [Colloq. for Exchange.]
8. A public house; an alehouse. [Scot.] They call an alehouse a change. Burt.
9. (Mus.)
Defn: Any order in which a number of bells are struck, other than that of the diatonic scale. Four bells admit twenty-four changes in ringing. Holder. Change of life, the period in the life of a woman when menstruation and the capacity for conception cease, usually occurring between forty-five and fifty years of age. — Change ringing, the continual production, without repetition, of changes on bells, See def. 9. above. — Change wheel (Mech.), one of a set of wheels of different sizes and number of teeth, that may be changed or substituted one for another in machinery, to produce a different but definite rate of angular velocity in an axis, as in cutting screws, gear, etc. — To ring the changes on, to present the same facts or arguments in variety of ways.
Syn. — Variety; variation; alteration; mutation; transition; vicissitude; innovation; novelty; transmutation; revolution; reverse.
CHANGEABILITYChange`a*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: Changeableness.
CHANGEABLEChange"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. changeable.]
1. Capable of change; subject to alteration; mutable; variable; fickle; inconstant; as, a changeable humor.
2. Appearing different, as in color, in different lights, or under different circumstances; as, changeable silk.
Syn. — Mutable; alterable; variable; inconstant; fitful; vacillating; capricious; fickle; unstable; unsteady; unsettled; wavering; erratic; giddy; volatile.
CHANGEABLENESSChange"a*ble*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being changeable; fickleness; inconstancy; mutability.
CHANGEABLYChange"a*bly, adv.
Defn: In a changeable manner.
CHANGEFULChange"ful, a.
Defn: Full of change; mutable; inconstant; fickle; uncertain. Pope.His course had been changeful. Motley.— Change"ful*ly, adv.— Change"ful*ness, n.
CHANGE GEARChange gear. (Mach.)
Defn: A gear by means of which the speed of machinery or of a vehicle may be changed while that of the propelling engine or motor remains constant; — called also change-speed gear.
CHANGE KEYChange key.
Defn: A key adapted to open only one of a set of locks; — distinguished from a master key.
CHANGELESSChange"less, a.
Defn: That can not be changed; constant; as, a changeless purpose.— Change"less*ness, n.
CHANGELINGChange"ling, n. Etym: [Change + -ling.]
1. One who, or that which, is left or taken in the place of another, as a child exchanged by fairies. Such, men do changelings call, so changed by fairies' theft. Spenser. The changeling [a substituted writing] never known. Shak.
2. A simpleton; an idiot. Macaulay. Changelings and fools of heaven, and thence shut out. Wildly we roam in discontent about. Dryden.
3. One apt to change; a waverer. "Fickle changelings." Shak.
CHANGELINGChange"ling, a.
1. Taken or left in place of another; changed. "A little changeling boy." Shak.
2. Given to change; inconstant. [Obs.] Some are so studiously changeling. Boyle.
CHANGERChan"ger, n.
1. One who changes or alters the form of anything.
2. One who deals in or changes money. John ii. 14.
3. One apt to change; an inconstant person.
CHANKChank", n. Etym: [Skr. çankha. See Conch.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The East Indian name for the large spiral shell of several species of sea conch much used in making bangles, esp. Turbinella pyrum. Called also chank chell.
CHANNEL Chan"nel, n. Etym: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]
1. The hollow bed where a stream of water runs or may run.
2. The deeper part of a river, harbor, strait, etc., where the main current flows, or which affords the best and safest passage for vessels.
3. (Geog.)
Defn: A strait, or narrow sea, between two portions of lands; as, theBritish Channel.
4. That through which anything passes; means of passing, conveying, or transmitting; as, the news was conveyed to us by different channels. The veins are converging channels. Dalton. At best, he is but a channel to convey to the National assembly such matter as may import that body to know. Burke.
5. A gutter; a groove, as in a fluted column.
6. pl. Etym: [Cf. Chain wales.] (Naut.)
Defn: Flat ledges of heavy plank bolted edgewise to the outside of a vessel, to increase the spread of the shrouds and carry them clear of the bulwarks. Channel bar, Channel iron (Arch.), an iron bar or beam having a section resembling a flat gutter or channel. — Channel bill (Zoöl.), a very large Australian cucko (Scythrops Novæhollandiæ. — Channel goose. (Zoöl.) See Gannet.
CHANNEL Chan"nel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Channeled, or Channelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Channeling, or Channelling.]
1. To form a channel in; to cut or wear a channel or channels in; to groove. No more shall trenching war channel her fields. Shak.
2. To course through or over, as in a channel. Cowper.
CHANNELINGChan"nel*ing, n.
1. The act or process of forming a channel or channels.
2. A channel or a system of channels; a groove.
CHANSONChan"son, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. cantion song. See Cantion, Canzone.]
Defn: A song. Shak.
CHANSON DE GESTEChan`son" de geste". [F., prop., song of history.]
Defn: Any Old French epic poem having for its subject events or exploits of early French history, real or legendary, and written originally in assonant verse of ten or twelve syllables. The most famous one is the Chanson de Roland.
Langtoft had written in the ordinary measure of the later chansons degeste.Saintsbury.
CHANSONNETTEChan`son*nette", n.; pl. Chansonnettes. Etym: [F., dim. of chanson.]
Defn: A little song.These pretty little chansonnettes that he sung. Black.
CHANTChant, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Chanting.] Etym:[F. chanter, fr. L. cantare, intens. of canere to sing. Cf. Cantaffected speaking, and see Hen.]
1. To utter with a melodious voice; to sing. The cheerful birds . . . do chant sweet music. Spenser.
2. To celebrate in song. The poets chant in the theaters. Bramhall.
3. (Mus.)
Defn: To sing or recite after the manner of a chant, or to a tune called a chant.
CHANTChant, v. i.
1. To make melody with the voice; to sing. "Chant to the sound of the viol." Amos vi. 5.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: To sing, as in reciting a chant. To chant (or chaunt) horses, to sing their praise; to overpraise; to cheat in selling. See Chaunter. Thackeray.
CHANT Chant, n.Etym: [F. chant, fr. L. cantus singing, song, fr. canere to sing. See Chant, v. t.]
1. Song; melody.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A short and simple melody, divided into two parts by double bars, to which unmetrical psalms, etc., are sung or recited. It is the most ancient form of choral music.
3. A psalm, etc., arranged for chanting.
4. Twang; manner of speaking; a canting tone. [R.] His strange face, his strange chant. Macaulay. Ambrosian chant, See under Ambrosian. Chant royal Etym: [F.], in old French poetry, a poem containing five strophes of eleven lines each, and a concluding stanza. — each of these six parts ending with a common refrain. — Gregorian chant. See under Gregorian.
CHANTANTChan`tant", a. Etym: [F. singing.] (Mus.)
Defn: Composed in a melodious and singing style.
CHANTERChant"er, n. Etym: [Cf. F. chanteur.]
1. One who chants; a singer or songster. Pope.
2. The chief singer of the chantry. J. Gregory.
3. The flute or finger pipe in a bagpipe. See Bagpipe.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The hedge sparrow.
CHANTERELLEChan`te*relle", n. Etym: [F.] (Bot.)
Defn: A name for several species of mushroom, of which one(Cantharellus cibrius) is edible, the others reputed poisonous.
CHANTEYChant"ey, n. [Cf. F. chanter to sing, and Chant. n.]
Defn: A sailor's song.
May we lift a deep-sea chantey such as seamen use at seaKipling.
CHANTICLEERChan"ti*cleer, n. Etym: [F. Chanteclair, name of the cock in theRoman du Renart (Reynard the Fox); chanter to chant + clair clear.See Chant, and Clear.]
Defn: A cock, so called from the clearness or loundness of his voice in crowing.
CHANTINGChant"ing, n.
Defn: Singing, esp. as a chant is sung. Chanting falcon (Zoöl.), an African falcon (Melierax canorus or musicus). The male has the habit, remarkable in a bird of prey, of singing to his mate, while she is incubating.
CHANTORChant"or, n.
Defn: A chanter.
CHANTRESSChant"ress, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. chanteresse.]
Defn: A female chanter or singer. Milton.
CHANTRY Chant"ry, n.; pl. Chantries. Etym: [OF. chanterie, fr. chanter to sing.]
1. An endowment or foundation for the chanting of masses and offering of prayers, commonly for the founder.
2. A chapel or altar so endowed. Cowell.
CHAOMANCYCha"o*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. -mancy.]
Defn: Divination by means of apperances in the air.
CHAOSCha"os, n. Etym: [L. chaos chaos (in senses 1 & 2), Gr. Chasm.]
1. An empty, immeasurable space; a yawning chasm. [Archaic] Between us and there is fixed a great chaos. Luke xvi. 26 (Rhemish Trans. ).
2. The confused, unorganized condition or mass of matter before the creation of distinct and order forms.
3. Any confused or disordered collection or state of things; a confused mixture; confusion; disorder.
CHAOTICCha*ot"ic, a.
Defn: Resembling chaos; confused.
CHAOTICALLYCha*ot"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a chaotic manner.
CHAPChap, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chapped; p. pr. & vb. n. Chapping.] Etym:[See Chop to cut.]
1. To cause to open in slits or chinks; to split; to cause the skin of to crack or become rough. Then would unbalanced heat licentious reign, Crack the dry hill, and chap the russet plain. Blackmore. Nor winter's blast chap her fair face. Lyly.
2. To strike; to beat. [Scot.]
CHAPChap, v. i.
1. To crack or open in slits; as, the earth chaps; the hands chap.
2. To strike; to knock; to rap. [Scot.]
CHAPChap, n. Etym: [From Chap, v. t. & i.]
1. A cleft, crack, or chink, as in the surface of the earth, or in the skin.
2. A division; a breach, as in a party. [Obs.] Many clefts and chaps in our council board. T. Fuller.
3. A blow; a rap. [Scot.]
CHAPChap, n. Etym: [OE. chaft; of Scand. origin; cf. Icel kjaptr jaw, Sw.Käft, D. kiæft; akin to G. kiefer, and E. jowl. Cf. Chops.]
1. One of the jaws or the fleshy covering of a jaw; — commonly in the plural, and used of animals, and colloquially of human beings. His chaps were all besmeared with crimson blood. Cowley. He unseamed him [Macdonald] from the nave to the chaps. Shak.
2. One of the jaws or cheeks of a vise, etc.
CHAP Chap, n. Etym: [Perh. abbreviated fr. chapman, but used in a more general sense; or cf. Dan. kiæft jaw, person, E. chap jaw.]
1. A buyer; a chapman. [Obs.] If you want to sell, here is your chap. Steele.
2. A man or boy; a youth; a fellow. [Colloq.]
CHAPChap, v. i. Etym: [See Cheapen.]
Defn: To bargain; to buy. [Obs.]
CHAPARAJOSCha`pa*ra"jos, n. pl. [Mex. Sp.]
Defn: Overalls of sheepskin or leather, usually open at the back, worn, esp. by cowboys, to protect the legs from thorny bushes, as in the chaparral; — called also chapareras or colloq. chaps. [Sp. Amer.]
CHAPARERASCha`pa*re"ras, n. pl. [Mex. Sp.]
Defn: Same as Chaparajos. [Sp. Amer.]
CHAPARRALCha`par*ral", n. Etym: [Sp., fr. chaparro an evergeen oak.]
1. A thicket of low evergreen oaks.
2. An almost impenetrable thicket or succession of thickets of thorny shrubs and brambles. Chaparral cock; fem. Chaparral hen (Zoöl.), a bird of the cuckoo family (Geococcyx Californianus), noted for running with great speed. It ranges from California to Mexico and eastward to Texas; — called also road runner, ground cuckoo, churea, and snake killerit is the state bird of New Mexico.
CHAPBOOKChap"book`, n. Etym: [See Chap to cheapen.]
Defn: Any small book carried about for sale by chapmen or hawkers.Hence, any small book; a toy book.
CHAPE Chape, n. Etym: [F., a churchman's cope, a cover, a chape, fr. L. cappa. See Cap.]
1. The piece by which an object is attached to something, as the frog of a scabbard or the metal loop at the back of a buckle by which it is fastened to a strap.
2. The transverse guard of a sword or dagger.
3. The metal plate or tip which protects the end of a scabbard, belt, etc. Knight.
CHAPEAUCha`peau", n.; pl. Chapeux. Etym: [F., fr. OF. chapel hat. SeeChaplet.]
1. hat or covering for the head.
2. (Her.)
Defn: A cap of maintenance. See Maintenance. Chapeau bras ( Etym: [F. chapeau hat + bras arm], a hat so made that it can be compressed and carried under the arm without injury. Such hats were particularly worn on dress occasions by gentlemen in the 18th century. A chapeau bras is now worn in the United States army by general and staff officers.
CHAPEDChaped, p. p. or a.
Defn: Furnished with a chape or chapes. [Obs.] Chaucer.
CHAPEL Chap"el, n. Etym: [OF. chapele, F. chapelle, fr. LL. capella, orig., a short cloak, hood, or cowl; later, a reliquary, sacred vessel, chapel; dim. of cappa, capa, cloak, cape, cope; also, a covering for the head. The chapel where St. Martin's cloak was preserved as a precious relic, itself came to be called capella, whence the name was applied to similar paces of worship, and the guardian of this cloak was called capellanus, or chaplain. See Cap, and cf. Chaplain., Chaplet.]
1. A subordinate place of worship; as, (a) a small church, often a private foundation, as for a memorial; (b) a small building attached to a church; (c) a room or recess in a church, containing an altar.
Note: In Catholic churches, and also in cathedrals and abbey churches, chapels are usually annexed in the recesses on the sides of the aisles. Gwilt.
2. A place of worship not connected with a church; as, the chapel of a palace, hospital, or prison.
3. In England, a place of worship used by dissenters from the Established Church; a meetinghouse.
4. A choir of singers, or an orchastra, attached to the court of a prince or nobleman.
5. (Print.) (a) A printing office, said to be so called because printing was first carried on in England in a chapel near Westminster Abbey. (b) An association of workmen in a printing office. Chapel of ease. (a) A chapel or dependent church built for the ease or a accommodation of an increasing parish, or for parishioners who live at a distance from the principal church. (b) A privy. (Law) — Chapel master, a director of music in a chapel; the director of a court or orchestra. — To build a chapel (Naut.), to chapel a ship. See Chapel, v. t., 2. — To hold a chapel, to have a meeting of the men employed in a printing office, for the purpose of considering questions affecting their interests.
CHAPELChap"el, v. t.
1. To deposit or inter in a chapel; to enshrine. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: To cause (a ship taken aback in a light breeze) so to turn or make a circuit as to recover, without bracing the yards, the same tack on which she had been sailing.
CHAPELESSChape"less, a.
Defn: Without a chape.
CHAPELETChap"e*let, n. Etym: [F. See Chaplet.]
1. A pair of Straps, with stirrups, joined at the top and fastened to the pommel or the frame of the saddle, after they have been adjusted to the convenience of the rider. [Written also chaplet.]
2. A kind of chain pump, or dredging machine.
CHAPELLANY Chap"el*la*ny, n.; pl. Chapellanies. Etym: [Cf. E. chapellenie, LL. capellania. See Chaplain.]
Defn: A chapel within the jurisdiction of a church; a subordinate ecclesiastical foundation.
CHAPELRYChap"el*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. chapelerie.]
Defn: The territorial disrict legally assigned to a chapel.
CHAPERONChap"er*on, n. Etym: [F. chaperon. See Chape, Cape, Cap.]
1. A hood; especially, an ornamental or an official hood. His head and face covered with a chaperon, out of which there are but two holes to look through. Howell.
2. A divice placed on the foreheads of horses which draw the hearse in pompous funerals.
3. A matron who accompanies a young lady in public, for propriety, or as a guide and protector.
CHAPERONChap"er*on, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chaperoned; p. pr. & vb. n.Chaperoning.] Etym: [Cf. F. chaperonner, fr. chaperon.]
Defn: To attend in public places as a guide and protector; tomatronize.Fortunately Lady Bell Finley, whom I had promised to chaperon, sentto excuse herself. Hannah More.
CHAPERONAGEChap"er*on`age, n.
Defn: Attendance of a chaperon on a lady in public; protection afforded by a chaperon.
CHAPFALLENChap"fall`en, a.
Defn: Having the lower chap or jaw drooping, — an indication of humiliation and dejection; crestfallen; discouraged. See Chopfallen.
CHAPITER Chap"i*ter, n. Etym: [OF. chapitel, F. chapiteau, from L. capitellum, dim. of caput head. Cf. Capital, Chapter.]
1. (Arch.)
Defn: A capital [Obs.] See Chapital. Ex. xxxvi. 38.
2. (Old Eng. Law)
Defn: A summary in writing of such matters as are to be inquired of or presented before justices in eyre, or justices of assize, or of the peace, in their sessions; — also called articles. Jacob.
CHAPLAINChap"lain, n. Etym: [F. chapelain, fr. LL. capellanus, fr. capella.See Chapel.]
1. An ecclesiastic who has a chapel, or who performs religious service in a chapel.
2. A clergyman who is officially atteched to the army or navy, to some public institution, or to a family or court, for the purpose of performing divine service.
3. Any person (clergyman or layman) chosen to conduct religious exercises for a society, etc.; as, a chaplain of a Masonic or a temperance lodge.
CHAPLAINCYChap"lain*cy, n.; pl. Chaplaincies (.
Defn: The office, position, or station of a chaplain. Swift.
CHAPLAINSHIPChap"lain*ship, n.
1. The office or business of a chaplain. The Bethesda of some knight's chaplainship. Milton.
2. The possession or revenue of a chapel. Johnson.
CHAPLESSChap"less, a.
Defn: Having no lower jaw; hence, fleshless. [R.] "Yellow, chapless skulls." Shak.
CHAPLET Chap"let, n. Etym: [F. chapelet, dim. of OF. chapel hat, garland, dim. fr. LL. cappa. See Cap, and cf. Chapelet, Chapeau.]
1. A garland or wreath to be worn on the head.
2. A string of beads, or part of a string, used by Roman Catholic in praying; a third of a rosary, or fifty beads. Her chaplet of beads and her missal. Longfellow.
3. (Arch.)
Defn: A small molding, carved into beads, pearls, olives, etc.
4. (Man.)
Defn: A chapelet. See Chapelet, 1.
5. (Founding)
Defn: A bent piece of sheet iron, or a pin with thin plates on its ends, for holding a core in place in the mold.
6. A tuft of feathers on a peacock's head. Johnson.
CHAPLETChap"let, n.
Defn: A small chapel or shrine.
CHAPLETChap"let, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chapleted.]
Defn: To adorn with a chaplet or with flowers. R. Browning.
CHAPMAN Chap"man, n.; pl. Chapmen. Etym: [AS. ceápman; ceáp trade + man man; akin to D. koopman, Sw. köpman, Dan. kiöpmand, G. kaufmann.f. Chap to cheapen, and see Cheap.]
1. One who buys and sells; a merchant; a buyer or a seller. [Obs.] The word of life is a quick commodity, and ought not, as a drug to be obtruded on those chapmen who are unwilling to buy it. T. Fuller.
2. A peddler; a hawker.
CHAPPYChap"py,
Defn: Full of chaps; cleft; gaping; open.
CHAPSChaps, n. pl.
Defn: The jaws, or the fleshy parts about them. See Chap. "Open your chaps again." Shak.
1. A division of a book or treatise; as, Genesis has fifty chapters.
2. (Eccl.) (a) An assembly of monks, or of the prebends and other clergymen connected with a cathedral, conventual, or collegiate church, or of a diocese, usually presided over by the dean. (b) A community of canons or canonesses. (c) A bishop's council. (d) A business meeting of any religious community.
3. An organized branch of some society or fraternity as of the Freemasons. Robertson.
4. A meeting of certain organized societies or orders.
5. A chapter house. [R.] Burrill.
6. A decretal epistle. Ayliffe.
7. A location or compartment.In his bosom! In what chapter of his bosom Shak.Chapter head, or Chapter heading, that which stands at the head of achapter, as a title.— Chapter house, a house or room where a chapter meets, esp. acathedral chapter.— The chapter of accidents, chance. Marryat.
1. To divide into chapters, as a book. Fuller.
2. To correct; to bring to book, i. e., to demand chapter and verse. [Obs.] Dryden.
CHAPTRELChap"trel, n. Etym: [See Chapiter.] (Arch.)
Defn: An impost. [Obs.]
CHAR; CHARR Char, Charr, n. Etym: [Ir. cear, Gael. ceara, lit., red, blood- colored, fr. cear blood. So named from its red belly.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the several species of fishes of the genus Salvelinus, allied to the spotted trout and salmon, inhabiting deep lakes in mountainous regions in Europe. In the United States, the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is sometimes called a char.
CHARChar, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A car; a chariot. [Obs.] Chaucer.
CHARChar, n. Etym: [OE. cherr, char a turning, time, work, AS. cerr,cyrr, turn, occasion, business, fr. cerran, cyrran, to turn; akin toOS. kërian, OHG. chëran, G. kehren. Cf. Chore, Ajar.]
Defn: Work done by the day; a single job, or task; a chore. [Writtenalso chare.] [Eng.]When thou hast done this chare, I give thee leave To play tilldoomsday. Shak.
CHAR; CHAREChar, Chare, v. t. Etym: [See 3d Char.]
1. To perform; to do; to finish. [Obs.] Nores. Thet char is chared, as the good wife said when she had hanged her husband. Old Proverb.
2. To work or hew, as stone. Oxf. Gloss.
CHAR; CHAREChar, Chare, v. i.
Defn: To work by the day, without being a regularly hired servant; to do small jobs.
CHARChar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Charred; p. pr. & vb. n. Charring.] Etym:[Prob. the same word as char to perform (see Char, n.), the modernuse coming from charcoal, prop. coal-turned, turned to coal.]
1. To reduce to coal or carbon by exposure to heat; to reduce to charcoal; to burn to a cinder.
2. To burn slightly or partially; as, to char wood.
CHARACha"ra, n. Etym: [NL., of uncertain origin.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of flowerless plants, having articulated stems and whorled branches. They flourish in wet places.
CHAR-A-BANCChar`-a-banc", n.; pl. Chars-a-banc. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A long, light, open vehicle, with benches or seats running lengthwise.
CHARACTChar"act, n.
Defn: A distinctive mark; a character; a letter or sign. [Obs.] SeeCharacter.In all his dressings, characts, titles, forms. Shak.
CHARACTER Char"ac*ter, n. Etym: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. caractère.]
1. A distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol. It were much to be wished that there were throughout the world but one sort of character for each letter to express it to the eye. Holder.
2. Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the peculiar form of letters used by a particular person or people; as, an inscription in the Runic character. You know the character to be your brother's Shak.
3. The peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others; the stamp impressed by nature, education, or habit; that which a person or thing really is; nature; disposition. The character or that dominion. Milton. Know well each Ancient's proper character; His fable, subject, scope in every page; Religion, Country, genius of his Age. Pope. A man of . . . thoroughly subservient character. Motley.
4. Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; as, he has a great deal of character.
5. Moral quality; the principles and motives that control the life; as, a man of character; his character saves him from suspicion.
6. Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty; as, in the miserable character of a slave; in his character as a magistrate; her character as a daughter.
7. The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation; as, a man's character for truth and veracity; to give one a bad character. This subterraneous passage is much mended since Seneca gave so bad a character of it. Addison.
8. A written statement as to behavior, competency, etc., given to a servant. [Colloq.]
9. A unique or extraordinary individuality; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits; a person who illustrates certain phases of character; as, Randolph was a character; Cæsar is a great historical character.
10. One of the persons of a drama or novel.
Note: "It would be well if character and reputation were used distinctively. In truth, character is what a person is; reputation is what he is supposed to be. Character is in himself, reputation is in the minds of others. Character is injured by temptations, and by wrongdoing; reputation by slanders, and libels. Character endures throughout defamation in every form, but perishes when there is a voluntary transgression; reputation may last through numerous transgressions, but be destroyed by a single, and even an unfounded, accusation or aspersion." Abbott.
CHARACTERChar"ac*ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Charactered.]
1. To engrave; to inscribe. [R.] These trees shall be my books. And in their barks my thoughts I 'll character. Shak.
2. To distinguish by particular marks or traits; to describe; to characterize. [R.] Mitford.
CHARACTERISMChar"ac*ter*ism, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A distinction of character; a characteristic. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
CHARACTERISTICChar`ac*ter*is"tic, a. Etym: [Gr. charactéristique.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or serving to constitute, the character; showing the character, or distinctive qualities or traits, of a person or thing; peculiar; distinctive. Characteristic clearness of temper. Macaulay.
CHARACTERISTICChar`ac*ter*is"tic, n.
1. A distinguishing trait, quality, or property; an element of character; that which characterized. Pope. The characteristics of a true critic. Johnson.
2. (Math.)
Defn: The integral part (whether positive or negative) of a logarithm.
CHARACTERISTICALChar`ac*ter*is"tic*al, a.
Defn: Characteristic.
CHARACTERISTICALLYChar`ac*ter*is"tic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a characteristic manner; in a way that characterizes.
CHARACTERIZATIONChar`ac*ter*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of characterizing.
CHARACTERIZEChar"ac*ter*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Characterized; p. pr. & vb. n.Characterizing.] Etym: [LL. characterizare, Gr. charactériser.]
1. To make distinct and recognizable by peculiar marks or traits; to make with distinctive features. European, Asiatic, Chinese, African, and Grecian faces are Characterized. Arbuthot.
2. To engrave or imprint. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.
3. To indicate the character of; to describe. Under the name of Tamerlane he intended to characterize King William. Johnson.
4. To be a characteristic of; to make, or express the character of. The softness and effeminacy which characterize the men of rank in most countries. W. Irving.
Syn. — To describe; distinguish; mark; designate; style; particularize; entitle.
CHARACTERLESSChar"ac*ter*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of any distinguishing quality; without character or force.
CHARACTERYChar"ac*ter*y, n.
1. The art or means of characterizing; a system of signs or characters; symbolism; distinctive mark. Fairies use flowers for their charactery. Shak.
2. That which is charactered; the meaning. [Obs.] I will construe to thee All the charactery of my sad brows. Shak.
CHARADE Cha*rade", n. Etym: [F. charade, cf. Pr. charrada long chat, It ciarlare to chat, whence E. charlatan.]
Defn: A verbal or acted enigma based upon a word which has two or more significant syllables or parts, each of which, as well as the word itself, is to be guessed from the descriptions or representations.
CHARBOCLEChar"bo*cle, n.
Defn: Carbuncle. [Written also Charboncle.] [Obs.] Chaucer.
CHARBONChar"bon, n. Etym: [F., coal, charbon.]
1. (Far.)
Defn: A small black spot or mark remaining in the cavity of the corner tooth of a horse after the large spot or mark has become obliterated.
2. A very contagious and fatal disease of sheep, horses, and cattle. See Maligmant pustule.
CHARCOAL Char"coal`, n. Etym: [See Char, v. t., to burn or to reduce to coal, and Coal.]
1. Impure carbon prepared from vegetable or animal substances; esp., coal made by charring wood in a kiln, retort, etc., from which air is excluded. It is used for fuel and in various mechanical, artistic, and chemical processes.
2. (Fine Arts)
Defn: Finely prepared charcoal in small sticks, used as a drawing implement. Animal charcoal, a fine charcoal prepared by calcining bones in a closed vessel; — used as a filtering agent in sugar refining, and as an absorbent and disinfectant. — Charcoal blacks, the black pigment, consisting of burnt ivory, bone, cock, peach stones, and other substances. — Charcoal drawing (Fine Arts), a drawing made with charcoal. See Charcoal, 2. Until within a few years this material has been used almost exclusively for preliminary outline, etc., but at present many finished drawings are made with it. — Charcoal point, a carbon pencil prepared for use un an electric light apparatus. — Mineral charcoal, a term applied to silky fibrous layers of charcoal, interlaminated in beds of ordinary bituminous coal; — known to miners as mother of coal.
CHARDChard, n. Etym: [Cf. F. carde esclent thistle.]
1. The tender leaves or leafstalks of the artichoke, white beet, etc., blanched for table use.
2. A variety of the white beet, which produces large, succulent leaves and leafstalks.
CHAREChare, n.
Defn: A narrow street. [Prov. Eng.]
CHAREChare, n. & v.
Defn: A chore; to chore; to do. See Char.
CHARGECharge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Charged; p. pr. & vb. n. Charging.] Etym:[OF. chargier, F. charger, fr. LL. carricare, fr. L. carrus wagon.Cf. Cargo, Caricature, Cark, and see Car.]
1. To lay on or impose, as a load, tax, or burden; to load; to fill. A carte that charged was with hay. Chaucer. The charging of children's memories with rules. Locke.
2. To lay on or impose, as a task, duty, or trust; to command, instruct, or exhort with authority; to enjoin; to urge earnestly; as, to charge a jury; to charge the clergy of a diocese; to charge an agent. Moses . . . charged you to love the Lord your God. Josh. xxii. 5. Cromwell, I charge thee, fing away ambition. Shak.
3. To lay on, impose, or make subject to or liable for. When land shal be charged by any lien. Kent.
4. To fix or demand as a prince; as, he charges two dollars a barrelk for apples.
5. To place something to the account of as a debt; to debit, as to charge one with goods. Also, to enter upon the debit side of an account; as, to charge a sum to one.
6. To impute or ascribe; to lay to one's charge. No more accuse thy pen, but charge the crime On native loth and negligence of time. Dryden.
7. To accuse; to make a charge or assertion against (a) person or thing); to lay the responsibility (for something said or done) at the door of. If the did that wrong you charge with. Tennyson.
8. To place within or upon any firearm, piece of apparatus or machinery, the quantity it is intended and fitted to hold or bear; to load; to fill; as, to charge a gun; to charge an electrical machine, etc. Their battering cannon charged to the mouths. Shak.
9. To ornament with or cause to bear; as, to charge an architectural member with a molding.
10. (Her.)
Defn: To assume as a bearing; as, he charges three roses or; to add to or represent on; as, he charges his shield with three roses or.
11. To call to account; to challenge. [Obs.] To charge me to an answer. Shak.
12. To bear down upon; to rush upon; to attack. Charged our main battle's front. Shak.
Syn.— To intrust; command; exhort; instruct; accuse; impeach; arraign.See Accuse.
CHARGECharge, v. i.
1. To make an onset or rush; as, to charge with fixed bayonets. Like your heroes of antiquity, he charges in iron. Glanvill. "Charge for the guns!" he said. Tennyson.
2. To demand a price; as, to charge high for goods.
3. To debit on an account; as, to charge for purchases.
4. To squat on its belly and be still; — a command given by a sportsman to a dog.
CHARGE Charge, n. Etym: [F. charge, fr. charger to load. See Charge, v. t., and cf. Cargo, Caricature.]
1. A load or burder laid upon a person or thing.
2. A person or thing commited or intrusted to the care, custody, or management of another; a trust.
Note: The people of a parish or church are called the charge of the clergyman who is set over them.
3. Custody or care of any person, thing, or place; office; responsibility; oversight; obigation; duty. 'Tis a great charge to come under one body's hand. Shak.
4. Heed; care; anxiety; trouble. [Obs.] Chaucer.
5. Harm. [Obs.] Chaucer.
6. An order; a mandate or command; an injunction. The king gave cherge concerning Absalom. 2. Sam. xviii. 5.
7. An address (esp. an earnest or impressive address) containing instruction or exhortation; as, the charge of a judge to a jury; the charge of a bishop to his clergy.
8. An accusation of a wrong of offense; allegation; indictment; specification of something alleged. The charge of confounding very different classes of phenomena. Whewell.
9. Whatever constitutes a burden on property, as rents, taxes, lines, etc.; costs; expense incurred; — usually in the plural.
10. The price demanded for a thing or service.
11. An entry or a account of that which is due from one party to another; that which is debited in a business transaction; as, a charge in an account book.
12. That quantity, as of ammunition, electricity, ore, fuel, etc., which any apparatus, as a gun, battery, furnace, machine, etc., is intended to receive and fitted to hold, or which is actually in it at one time
13. The act of rushing upon, or towards, an enemy; a sudden onset or attack, as of troops, esp. cavalry; hence, the signal for attack; as, to sound the charge. Never, in any other war afore, gave the Romans a hotter charge upon the enemies. Holland. The charge of the light brigade. Tennyson.
14. A position (of a weapon) fitted for attack; as, to bring a weapon to the charge.