Chamber - Chancellor

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2. pl. Apartments in a lodging house. “A bachelor's life in chambers.” Thackeray.
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3. A hall, as where a king gives audience, or a deliberative body or assembly meets; as, presence chamber; senate chamber.
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4. A legislative or judicial body; an assembly; a society or association; as, the Chamber of Deputies; the Chamber of Commerce.
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5. A compartment or cell; an inclosed space or cavity; as, the chamber of a canal lock; the chamber of a furnace; the chamber of the eye.
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6. pl. (Law.) A room or rooms where a lawyer transacts business; a room or rooms where a judge transacts such official business as may be done out of court.
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7. A chamber pot. [Colloq.]
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8. (Mil.) (a) That part of the bore of a piece of ordnance which holds the charge, esp. when of different diameter from the rest of the bore; -- formerly, in guns, made smaller than the bore, but now larger, esp. in breech-loading guns. (b) A cavity in a mine, usually of a cubical form, to contain the powder. (c) A short piece of ordnance or cannon, which stood on its breech, without any carriage, formerly used chiefly for rejoicings and theatrical cannonades.
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Coloq. Air chamber . See , in the Vocabulary. -- Coloq. Chamber of commerce , a board or association to protect the interests of commerce, chosen from among the merchants and traders of a city. -- Coloq. Chamber council , a secret council. Shak. -- Coloq. Chamber counsel or Coloq. Chamber counselor , a counselor who gives his opinion in private, or at his chambers, but does not advocate causes in court. -- Coloq. Chamber fellow , a chamber companion; a roommate; a chum. -- Coloq. Chamber hangings , tapestry or hangings for a chamber. -- Coloq. Chamber lye , urine. Shak. -- Coloq. Chamber music , vocal or instrumental music adapted to performance in a chamber or small apartment or audience room, instead of a theater, concert hall, or church. -- Coloq. Chamber practice (Law.), the practice of counselors at law, who give their opinions in private, but do not appear in court. -- Coloq. To sit at chambers , to do business in chambers, as a judge.
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Chamber (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chambered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Chambering.] 1. To reside in or occupy a chamber or chambers.
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2. To be lascivious. [Obs.]
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Chamber, v. t. 1. To shut up, as in a chamber. Shak.
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2. To furnish with a chamber; as, to chamber a gun.
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Chambered (?), a. Having a chamber or chambers; as, a chambered shell; a chambered gun.
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Chamberer (?), n. 1. One who attends in a chamber; a chambermaid. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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2. A civilian; a carpetmonger. [Obs.]
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Chambering, n. Lewdness. [Obs.] Rom. xiii. 13.
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Chamberlain (?), n. [OF. chamberlain, chambrelencF. chambellon, OHG. chamerling, chamarlinc, G. kämmerling, kammer chamber (fr. L. camera) + -ling. See , and .] [Formerly written chamberlin.] 1. An officer or servant who has charge of a chamber or chambers.
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2. An upper servant of an inn. [Obs.]
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3. An officer having the direction and management of the private chambers of a nobleman or monarch; hence, in Europe, one of the high officers of a court.
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4. A treasurer or receiver of public money; as, the chamberlain of London, of North Wales, etc.
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Coloq. The lord chamberlain of England , an officer of the crown, who waits upon the sovereign on the day of coronation, and provides requisites for the palace of Westminster, and for the House of Lords during the session of Parliament. Under him are the gentleman of the black rod and other officers. His office is distinct from that of the lord chamberlain of the Household, whose functions relate to the royal housekeeping.
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Chamberlainship, n. Office of a chamberlain.
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Chambermaid (?), n. 1. A maidservant who has the care of chambers, making the beds, sweeping, cleaning the rooms, etc.
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2. A lady's maid. [Obs.] Johnson.
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Chambertin (?), n. A red wine from Chambertin near Dijon, in Burgundy.
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Chambranle (?), n. [F.] (Arch.) An ornamental bordering or framelike decoration around the sides and top of a door, window, or fireplace. The top piece is called the traverse and the side pieces the ascendants.
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Chambray (?), n. [From Cambrai, France. Cf. .] A gingham woven in plain colors with linen finish.
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Chambrel (?), n. Same as .
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Chameck (?), n. [Native Brazilian name.] (Zoöl.) A kind of spider monkey (Ateles chameck), having the thumbs rudimentary and without a nail.
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Chameleon (kȧmēl�ŭn), n. [L. Chamaeleon, Gr. chamailewn, lit., “ground lion;” chamai on the ground + lewn lion. See , and .] (Zoöl.) 1. A lizardlike reptile of the genus Chamæleo, of several species, found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The skin is covered with fine granulations; it has eyes which can move separately, the tail is prehensile, and the body is much compressed laterally, giving it a high back. It is remarkable for its ability to change the color of its skin to blend with its surroundings. [Also sometimes spelled chamaeleon.]
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☞ Its color changes more or less with the color of the objects about it, or with its temper when disturbed. In a cool, dark place it is nearly white, or grayish; on admitting the light, it changes to brown, bottle-green, or blood red, of various shades, and more or less mottled in arrangment. The American chameleons belong to Anolis and allied genera of the family Iguanidæ. They are more slender in form than the true chameleons, but have the same power of changing their colors.
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2. a person who changes opinions, ideas, or behavior to suit the prevailing social climate; an opportunist.
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Coloq. Chameleon mineral (Chem.), the compound called potassium permanganate, a dark violet, crystalline substance, KMnO4, which in formation passes through a peculiar succession of color from green to blue, purple, red, etc. See Potassium permanganate, under .
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Chameleonize (?), v. t. To change into various colors. [R.]
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Chamfer (?), n. [See .] The surface formed by cutting away the arris, or angle, formed by two faces of a piece of timber, stone, etc.
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Chamfer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chamfered ; p. pr. & vb. n. Chamfering. (�)]
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1. (Carp.) To cut a furrow in, as in a column; to groove; to channel; to flute.
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2. To make a chamfer on.
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Chamfret (?), n. [See .] 1. (Carp.) A small gutter; a furrow; a groove.
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2. A chamfer.
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Chamfron (?), n. [F. chanfrein.] (Anc. Armor) The frontlet, or head armor, of a horse. [Written also champfrain and chamfrain.]
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Chamisal (?), n. [Amer. Sp., fr. Sp. chamiza a kind of wild cane.] 1. (Bot.) A California rosaceous shrub (Adenostoma fasciculatum) which often forms an impenetrable chaparral.
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2. A chaparral formed by dense growths of this shrub.
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Chamlet (?), n. See . [Obs.]
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Chamois (shămm� or shȧmoi; 277), n. [F. chamois, prob. fr. OG. gamz, G. gemse.] 1. (Zoöl.) A small species of antelope (Rupicapra tragus), living on the loftiest mountain ridges of Europe, as the Alps, Pyrenees, etc. It possesses remarkable agility, and is a favorite object of chase.
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2. A soft leather made from the skin of the chamois, or from sheepskin, etc.; -- called also chamois leather, and chammy or shammy leather. See .
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chamosite n. a greenish gray or black silicate of iron and aluminum.
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Chamomile (?), n. (Bot.) See .
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Champ (chămp), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Champed (chămt); p. pr. & vb. n. Champing.] [Prob, of Scand. orgin; cf. dial. Sw. kämsa to chew with difficulty, champ; but cf. also OF. champier, champeyer, champoyer, to graze in fields, fr. F. champ field, fr. L. campus. Cf. .] 1. To bite with repeated action of the teeth so as to be heard.
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Foamed and champed the golden bit. Dryden.
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2. To bite into small pieces; to crunch. Steele.
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Champ, v. i. To bite or chew impatiently.
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They began . . . irefully to champ upon the bit. Hooker.
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{ Champ, Champe, } n. [F. champ, L. campus field.] (Arch.) The field or ground on which carving appears in relief.
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Champagne (?), n. [F. See .] A light wine, of several kinds, originally made in the province of Champagne, in France.
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☞ Champagne properly includes several kinds not only of sparkling but of still wines; but in America the term is usually restricted to wines which effervesce.
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Champaign (?), n. [OF. champaigne; same word as campagne.] A flat, open country.
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Fair champaign, with less rivers interveined. Milton.
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Through Apline vale or champaign wide. Wordsworth.
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Champaign, a. Flat; open; level.
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A wide, champaign country, filled with herds. Addison.
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Champer (?), n. One who champs, or bites.
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Champertor (?), n. [F. champarteur a divider of fields or field rent. See .] (Law) 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.
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Champerty (?), n. [F. champart field rent, L. campipars; champ (L. campus) field + part (L. pars) share.] 1. Partnership in power; equal share of authority. [Obs.]
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Beauté ne sleighte, strengthe ne hardyness,
Ne may with Venus holde champartye. Chaucer.
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2. (Law) 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 .
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☞ By many authorities champerty is defined as an agreement of this nature. From early times the offence of champerty has been forbidden and punishable.
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Champignon (?), n. [F., a mushroom, ultimately fr. L. campus field. See .] (Bot.) An edible species of mushroom (Agaricus campestris).
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Coloq. Fairy ring champignon , the Marasmius oreades, which has a strong flavor but is edible.
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Champion (chămpĭŭn), n. [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; especially one who in ancient times contended in single combat in behalf of another's honor or rights; or one who now acts or speaks in behalf of a person or a cause; a defender; an advocate; a hero.
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A stouter champion never handled sword. Shak.
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Champions of law and liberty. Fisher Ames.
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2. One who by defeating all rivals, has obtained an acknowledged supremacy in any branch of athletics or game of skill, and is ready to contend with any rival; as, the champion of England.
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☞ 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.
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Champion, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Championed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Championing.] [Obs.] Shak.
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2. To furnish with a champion; to attend or defend as champion; to support or maintain; to protect.
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Championed or unchampioned, thou diest. Sir W. Scott.
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Championness (?), n. A female champion. Fairfax.
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Championship, n. State of being champion; leadership; supremacy.
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Champlain period (?). (Geol.) A subdivision of the Quaternary age immediately following the Glacial period; -- so named from beds near Lake Champlain.
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☞ 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.
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Champlevé (?), a. [F., p. p. of champlever to engrave. See 3d , , a bar.] (Art) 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. A piece of champlevé enamel; also, the process or art of making such enamel work; champlevé work.
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Chamsin (?), n. [F.] See .
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chanar n. a thorny shrub or small tree (Geoffroea decorticans) common in central Argentina having small orange or yellow flowers followed by edible berries.
Syn. -- chanal, Geoffroea decorticans.
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Chance (chȧns), n. [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. .] 1. A supposed material or psychical agent or mode of activity other than a force, law, or purpose; fortune; fate; -- in this sense often personified.
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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.
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Many of the everyday events which people observe and attribute to chance fall into the category described by Clark, as being in practice too complex for people to easily predict, but in theory predictable if one were to know the actions of the causal agents in great detail. At the subatomic level, however, there is much evidence to support the notion derived from Heisenberg's uncertaintly principle, that phenomena occur in nature which are truly randomly determined, not merely too complex to predict or observe accurately. Such phenomena, however, are observed only with one or a very small number of subatomic particles. When the probabilities of observed events are determined by the behavior of aggregates of millions of particles, the variations due to such quantum indeterminacy becomes so small as to be unobservable even over billions of repetitions, and may therefore be ignored in practical situations; such variations are so improbable that it would be irrational to condition anything of consequence upon the occurrence of such an improbable event. A clever experimenter, nevertheless, may contrive a system where a very visible event (such as the dynamiting of a building) depends on the occurrence of a truly chance subatomic event (such as the disintegration of a single radioactive nucleus). In such a contrived situation, one may accurately speak of an event determined by chance, in the sense of a random occurrence completely unpredictable, at least as to time.
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Any society into which chance might throw him. Macaulay.
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That power
Which erring men call Chance. Milton.
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2. The operation or activity of such agent.
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By chance a priest came down that way. Luke x. 31.
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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.
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In the field of observation, chance favors only the mind that is prepared. Louis Pasteur.
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This quotation is usually found in the form Chance favors the prepared mind. It is a common rejoinder to the assertion that a scientist was lucky to have made some particular discovery because of unanticipated factors. A related quotation, from the Nobel-Prize-winning chemist R. B. Woodward, is that A scientist has to work wery hard to get to the point where he can be lucky.
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It was a chance that happened to us. 1 Sam. vi. 9.
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The Knave of Diamonds tries his wily arts,
And wins (O shameful chance!) the Queen of Hearts. Pope.
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I spake of most disastrous chance. Shak.
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4. A possibility; a likelihood; an opportunity; -- with reference to a doubtful result; as, a chance to escape; a chance for life; the chances are all against him.
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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.
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5. (Math.) Probability.
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☞ 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.
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Coloq. Chance comer , one who comes unexpectedly. -- Coloq. The last chance , the sole remaining ground of hope. -- Coloq. The main chance , the chief opportunity; that upon which reliance is had, esp. self-interest. -- Coloq. Theory of chances , Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. To mind one's chances , to take advantage of every circumstance; to seize every opportunity.
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Chance, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chanced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Chancing.] To happen, come, or arrive, without design or expectation. “Things that chance daily.” Robynson (More's Utopia).
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If a bird's nest chance to be before thee. Deut. xxii. 6.
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I chanced on this letter. Shak.
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Often used impersonally; as, how chances it?
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How chance, thou art returned so soon? Shak.
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Chance, v. t. 1. To take the chances of; to venture upon; -- usually with it as object.
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Come what will, I will chance it. W. D. Howells.
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2. To befall; to happen to. [Obs.] W. Lambarde.
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Chance, a. Happening by chance; casual.
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Chance, adv. By chance; perchance. Gray.
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Chanceable (?), a. Fortuitous; casual. [Obs.]
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Chanceably, adv. By chance. [Obs.]
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Chanceful (?), a. Hazardous. [Obs.] Spenser.
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Chancel (?), n. [OF. chancel, F. chanceau, cancel, fr. L. cancelli lattices, crossbars. (The chancel was formerly inclosed with lattices or crossbars) See , 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.
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Coloq. Chancel aisle (Arch.), the aisle which passes on either side of or around the chancel. -- Coloq. Chancel arch (Arch.), the arch which spans the main opening, leading to the chancel. -- Coloq. Chancel casement , the principal window in a chancel. Tennyson. -- Coloq. Chancel table , the communion table.
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Chancellery (?), n. [Cf. .] Chancellorship. [Obs.] Gower.
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Chancellor (?), n. [OE. canceler, chaunceler, F. chancelier, LL. cancellarius chancellor, a director of chancery, fr. L. cancelli lattices, crossbars, which surrounded the seat of judgment. See .] A judicial court of chancery, which in England and in the United States is distinctively a court with equity jurisdiction.
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☞ 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.
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Coloq. Chancellor of a bishop or Coloq. Chancellor 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. -- Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. 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.
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