The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 263
I knew that they were the cherubim . Ezek. x. 20.
He rode upon a cherub and did fly. Ps. xviii. 10.
2. A symbolical winged figure of unknown form used in connection with the mercy seat of the Jewish Ark and Temple.
Ez. xxv. 18.
3. One of a order of angels, variously represented in art. In European painting the cherubim have been shown as blue, to denote knowledge, as distinguished from the seraphim (see Seraph ), and in later art the children's heads with wings are generally called cherubs .
4. A beautiful child; -- so called because artists have represented cherubs as beautiful children.
Cherubic, Cherubical <Xpage=246>
Che*ru"bic (?) , Che*ru"bic*al (?) , a. Of or pertaining to cherubs; angelic. "The cherubic host."
Milton.
Cherubim <Xpage=246>
Cher"u*bim (?) , n. The Hebrew plural of Cherub .. Cf. Seraphim .
&hand; Cherubims , in the King James version of the bible, is an incorrect form, made by adding the English plural termination to the Hebrew plural cherubim instead of to the singular cherub .
Cherubin <Xpage=246>
Cher"u*bin (?) , a. Cherubic; angelic. [Obs.]
Shak.
Cherubin <Xpage=246>
Cher"u*bin , n. A cherub. [Obs.]
Dryden.
Cherup <Xpage=246>
Cher"up (?) , v. i. [Prob. fr. chirp .] To make a short, shrill, cheerful sound; to chirp. See Chirrup . "Cheruping birds."
Drayton.
Cherup <Xpage=246>
Cher"up , v. t. To excite or urge on by making a short, shrill, cheerful sound; to cherup to. See Chirrup .
He cherups brisk ear-erecting steed. Cowper.
Cherup <Xpage=246>
Cher"up , n. A short, sharp, cheerful noise; a chirp; a chirrup; as, the cherup of a cricket .
Chervil <Xpage=246>
Cher"vil (?) , n. [AS. cerfille , fr. L. caerefolium , chaerephyllum , Gr. <?/; <?/ to rejoice + <?/ leaf.] (Bot.) A plant ( Anthriscus cerefolium ) with pinnately divided aromatic leaves, of which several curled varieties are used in soups and salads.
Ches <Xpage=246>
Ches (?) , pret. of Chese . [Obs.] Chaucer.
Chese <Xpage=246>
Chese (?) , v. t. To choose [Obs.] Chaucer.
Chesible <Xpage=246>
Ches"i*ble (?) , n. See Chasuble .
Cheslip <Xpage=246>
Ches"lip (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The wood louse. [Prov. Eng.]
Chess <Xpage=246>
Chess (?) , n. [OE. ches , F. \'82checs , prop. pl. of \'82chec check. See 1st Check .] A game played on a chessboard, by two persons, with two differently colored sets of men, sixteen in each set. Each player has a king, a queen, two bishops, two knights, two castles or rooks, and eight pawns.
Chess <Xpage=246>
Chess , n. (Bot.) A species of brome grass ( Bromus secalinus ) which is a troublesome weed in wheat flelds, and is often erroneously regarded as degenerate or changed wheat; it bears a very slight resemblance to oats, and if reaped and ground up with wheat, so as to be used for food, is said to produce narcotic effects; -- called also cheat and Willard's bromus . [U. S.]
&hand; Other species of brome grass are called upright chess , soft chess , etc.
Chess-apple <Xpage=246>
Chess"-ap`ple (?) , n. The wild service of Europe ( Purus torminalis ).
Chessboard <Xpage=246>
Chess"board` (?) , n. The board used in the game of chess, having eight rows of alternate light and dark squares, eight in each row. See Checkerboard .
&hand; The chessboard and the checkerboard are alike.
Chessel <Xpage=246>
Ches"sel (?) , n. The wooden mold in which cheese is pressed.
Simmonds.
Chesses <Xpage=246>
Chess"es (?) , n. pl. [Cf. F. chassis a framework of carpenty.] (Mil.) The platforms, consisting of two or more planks doweled together, for the flooring of a temporary military bridge.
Wilhelm.
A singular, chess , is sometimes used. "Each chess consists of three planks." Farrow.
Chessil <Xpage=246>
Ches"sil (?) , n. [OE. chesil , AS. ceosel gravel, sand.] Gravel or pebbles.
Halliwell.
Chessman <Xpage=246>
Chess"man (?) , n. ; pl. Chessmen (#) . A piece used in the game of chess.
Chessome <Xpage=246>
Ches"some (#) , n. [Cf. Chisley .] Mwllow earth; mold. [Obs.]
Bacon.
Chesstree <Xpage=246>
Chess"tree` (?) , n. [Cf. F chassis a framework of carpentry.] (Naut.) A piece of oak bolted perpendicularly on the side of a vessel, to aid in drawing down and securing the clew of the mainsail.
Chessy copper <Xpage=246>
Ches`sy" cop"per (?) . (Min.) The mineral azurite, found in fine crystallization at Chessy , near Lyons; called also chessylite .
Chest <Xpage=246>
Chest (?) , n. [OE. chest , chist , AS. cest , cist , cyst , L. cista , fr. Gr. <?/. Cf. Cist , Cistern .] 1. A large box of wood, or other material, having, like a trunk, a lid, but no covering of skin, leather, or cloth.
Heaps of money crowded in the chest . Dryden.
2. A coffin. [Obs.]
He is now dead and mailed in his cheste . Chaucer.
3. The part of the body inclosed by the ribs and breastbone; the thorax.
4. (Com.) A case in which certain goods, as tea, opium, etc., are transported; hence, the quantity which such a case contains.
5. (Mech.) A tight receptacle or box, usually for holding gas, steam, liguids, etc.; as, the steam chest of an engine; the wind chest of an organ.
Bomb chest , See under Bomb . -- Chest of drawers , a case or movable frame containing drawers.
Chest <Xpage=246>
Chest (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Chested .] 1. To deposit in a chest; to hoard.
2. To place in a coffin. [Obs.]
He dieth and is chested . Gen. 1. 26 (heading).
Chest <Xpage=246>
Chest (?) , n. [AS. ce\'a0st .] Strife; contention; controversy. [Obs.]
P. Plowman.
Chested <Xpage=246>
Chest"ed , a. Having (such) a chest; -- in composition; as, broad- chested ; narrow- chested .
Chesterlite <Xpage=246>
Ches"ter*lite (?) , n. [See -lite .] A variety of feldspar found in crystals in the county of Chester , Pennsylvania.
Chesteyn <Xpage=246>
Ches"teyn (?) , n. The chestnut tree. [Obs.]
Wilwe, elm, plane, assch, box, chesteyn . Chaucer.
Chest founder <Xpage=246>
Chest" foun`der (?) . (Far.) A rheumatic affection of the muscles of the breast and fore legs of a horse, affecting motion and respiration.
Chestnut <Xpage=246>
Chest"nut (?) , n. [For chesten-nut ; OE. chestein , chesten , chastein , chestnut, fr. AS. cisten in cistenbe\'a0m chestnut tree, influenced by OF. chastaigne , F. ch\'83taigne , both the AS. and the F. words coming from L. castanea a chestnut, Gr. <?/, fr. <?/ a city of Pontus, where chestnut trees grew in abundance, and whence they were introduced into Europe. Cf. Castanets .] 1. (Bot.) The edible nut of a forest tree ( Castanea vesce ) of Europe and America. Commonly two or more of the nuts grow in a prickly bur.
2. The tree itself, or its light, coarse-grained timber, used for ornamental work, furniture, etc.
3. A bright brown color, like that of the nut.
4. The horse chestnut (often so used in England).
5. One of the round, or oval, horny plates on the inner sides of the legs of the horse, and allied animals.
6. An old joke or story. [Slang]
Chestnut tree , a tree that bears chestnuts.
Chestnut <Xpage=246>
Chest"nut , a. Of or pertaining of a chestnut; of a reddish brown color; as, chestnut curls .
Chetah <Xpage=246>
Che"tah (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Cheetah .
Chetvert <Xpage=246>
Chet"vert (?) , n. [Russ. chetverte .] A measure of grain equal to 0.7218 of an imperial quarter, or 5.95 Winchester bushels. [Russia]
Chevachie <Xpage=246>
Chev"a*chie` (?) , n. See Chivachie . [Obs.]
Chevage <Xpage=246>
Che"vage (?) , n. See Chiefage . [Obs.]
Cheval <Xpage=246>
Che*val" (?) , n. ; pl. Chevaux (#) . [F. See Cavalcade .] A horse; hence, a support or frame.
Cheval glass , a mirror swinging in a frame, and large enough to reflect the full leght figure.
Cheval-de-frise <Xpage=246>
Che*val"-de-frise" (?) , n. ; commonly used in the pl. Chevaux-de-frise . [F.; cheval horse + Frise Friesland, where it was first used.] (Mil.) A piece of timber or an iron barrel traversed with iron-pointed spikes or spears, five or six feet long, used to defend a passage, stop a breach, or impede the advance of cavalry, etc.
Obstructions of chain, boom, and cheval-de-frise . W. Irving.
Chevalier <Xpage=246>
Che`va*lier" (?) , n. [F., fr. LL. caballarius . See Cavaller .] 1. A horseman; a knight; a gallant young man. "Mount, chevaliers ; to arms."
Shak.
2. A member of certain orders of knighthood.
Chevalier d'industrie (<?/) [F.] , one who lives by persevering fraud; a pickpocket; a sharper. -- The Chevalier St. George (Eng. Hist.) , James Francis Edward Stuart (son of James II.), called "The Pretender." -- The Young Chevalier , Charles Edward Stuart, son of the Chevalier St. George.
Chevaux <Xpage=246>
Che*vaux" (?) , n. pl. See Cheval .
Cheve <Xpage=246>
Cheve (?) , v. i. [OF. chevir . See Chievance .] To come to an issue; to turn out; to succed; as, to cheve well in a enterprise . [Prov. or Obs.]
Holland.
Chevelure <Xpage=246>
Cheve*lure" (?) , n. [F., head of hair.] A hairlike envelope.
The nucleus and chevelure of nebulous star. Sir. W. Hershel.
Cheven <Xpage=246>
Chev"en (?) , n. [Cf. F. chevanne . Cf . Chavender .] (Zo\'94l.) A river fish; the chub.
Sir T. Browne.
Cheventein <Xpage=246>
Chev"en*tein (?) , n. A variant of Chieftain . [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Cheveril <Xpage=246>
Chev"er*il (?) , n. [OF. chevrel , F. chevreau , kid, dim. of chevre goat, fr. L. capra . See Caper , v. i. ] Soft leather made of kid skin. Fig.: Used as a symbol of flexibility. [Obs.]
Here's wit of cheveril , that stretches from an inch narrow to an ell broad. Shak.
Cheveril <Xpage=246>
Chev"er*il , a. Made of cheveril; pliant. [Obs.]
A cheveril conscience and a searching wit. Drayton.
Cheverliize <Xpage=246>
Chev"er*li*ize (?) , v. i. To make as pliable as kid leather. [Obs.]
Br. Montagu.
Chevet <Xpage=246>
Che*vet" (?) , n. [F., head of the bed, dim. fr. chef head. See Chief .] (Arch.) The extreme end of the chancel or choir; properly the round or polygonal part.
Cheviot <Xpage=246>
Chev"i*ot (?) , n. 1. A valuable breed of mountain sheep in Scotland, which takes its name from the Cheviot hills.
2. A woolen fabric, for men's clothing.
Chevisance <Xpage=246>
Chev"i*sance (?) , n. [Of. chevisance , chevissance , fr. chevir come to an end, perform, fr. chef head, end, from L. caput head. See Chieve , Chief .]
1. Achievement; deed; performance. [Obs.]
Fortune, the foe of famous chevisance . Spenser.
2. A bargain; profit; gain. [Obs.]
Piers Plowman.
3. (O. Eng. Law) (a) A making of contracts. (b) A bargain or contract; an agreement about a matter in dispute, such as a debt; a business compact. (c) An unlawful agreement or contract.
Chevrette <Xpage=246>
Chev*rette" (?) , n. [F., fr. ch\'82vre goat, fr. L. capra . Cf. Chevron .] (Mil.) A machine for raising guns or mortar into their carriages.
Chevron <Xpage=246>
Chev"ron (?) , n. [F., rafter, chevron, from ch\'82vre goat, OF. chevre , fr. L. capra she-goat. See Cheveril .] 1. (Her.) One of the nine honorable ordinaries, consisting of two broad bands of the width of the bar, issuing, respectively from the dexter and sinister bases of the field and conjoined at its center.
2. (Mil.) A distinguishing mark, above the elow, on the sleeve of a noncommisioned officer's coat.
3. (Arch.) A zigzag molding, or group of moldings, common in Norman architecture.
Chevron bones (Anat.) , The V-shaped subvertebral arches which inclose the caudal blood vessels in some animals.
Chevroned <Xpage=246>
Chev"roned (?) , p. a. Having a chevron; decorated with an ornamental figure of a zigzag from.
[A garment] whose nether parts, with their bases, were of watchet cloth of silver, chevroned all over with lace. B. Jonson.
Chevronel <Xpage=246>
Chev"ron*el (?) , n. (Her.) A bearing like a chevron, but of only half its width.
Chevronwise <Xpage=246>
Chev"ron*wise` (?) , adv. (Her.) In the manner of a chevron; as, the field may be divided chevronwise .
Chevrotain <Xpage=246>
Chev`ro*tain" (?) , n. [F. chevrotin , OF. chevrot little goat, roe, dim. of chevre goat. See Chevron .] (Zo\'94l.) A small ruminant of the family Tragulid\'91 a allied to the musk deer. It inhabits Africa and the East Indies. See Kanchil .
Chevy <Xpage=246>
Chev"y (?) , v. t. See Chivy , v. t. [Slang, Eng.]
One poor fellow was chevied about among the casks in the storm for ten minutes. London Times.
Chew <Xpage=246>
Chew (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Chewed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Chewing .] [As ce\'a2wan , akin to D. kauwen , G. kauen . Cf. Chaw , Jaw .] 1. To bite and grind with the teeth; to masticate.
2. To ruminate mentally; to meditate on.
He chews revenge, abjuring his offense. Prior.
To chew the cud , to chew the food ocer again, as a cow; to ruminate; hence, to meditate.
Every beast the parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. Deut. xxiv. 6.
Chew <Xpage=246>
Chew , v. i. To perform the action of biting and grinding with the teeth; to ruminate; to meditate.
old politicians chew wisdom past. Pope.
Chew <Xpage=246>
Chew , n. That which is chewed; that which is held in the mouth at once; a cud. [Law]
Chewer <Xpage=246>
Chew"er (?) , n. One who chews.
Chewet <Xpage=246>
Chew"et , n. A kind of meat pie. [Obs.]
Chewink <Xpage=246>
Che"wink (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) An american bird ( Pipilo erythrophthalmus ) of the Finch family, so called from its note; -- called also towhee bunting and ground robin .
Cheyennes <Xpage=246>
Chey*ennes" (?) , n. pl. ; sing. cheyenne . (Ethnol.) A warlike tribe of indians, related to the blackfeet, formerly inhabiting the region of Wyoming, but now mostly on reservations in the Indian Territory. They are noted for their horsemanship.
Chian <Xpage=246>
Chi"an (?) a. [L. chius , fr. Chios the island Chios, Gr. <?/.] Of or pertaining to Chios, an island in the \'92gean Sea.
Chian earth , a dense, compact kind of earth, from Chios, used anciently as an astringent and a cosmetic. -- Chian turpentine , a fragrant, almost transparent turpentine, obtained from the Pistacia Terebinthus .
Chiaroscurist <Xpage=246>
Chi*a`ros*cu"rist (?) , n. A painter who cares for and studies light and shade rather than color.
Chiaroscuro, Chiaro-oscuro <Xpage=246>
Chia`ro*scu"ro (?) , Chi*a"ro-os*cu"ro (?) , n. [It., clear dark.] (a) The arrangement of light and dark parts in a work of art, such as a drawing or painting, whether in monochrome or in color. (b) The art or practice of so arranging the light and dark parts as to produce a harmonious effect. Cf. Clair-obscur .
Chiasm, Chiasma <Xpage=246>
Chi"asm (?) , Chi*as"ma (?) , n. [NL. chiasma , fr. Gr. <?/ two lines placed crosswise, fr. <?/ to mark with a χ.] (Anat.) A commissure; especially, the optic commissure, or crucial union of the optic nerves. -- Chi*as"mal (<?/) , a. .
Chiasmus <Xpage=246>
Chi*as"mus (?) , n. [NL., fr. Gr. <?/ a placing crosswise, fr. <?/. See Chiasm .] (Rhet.) An inversion of the order of words or phrases, when repeated or subsequently referred to in a sentence ; thus,
If e'er to bless thy sons My voice or hands deny, These hands let useful skill forsake, This voice in silence die. Dwight.
<page="247"> Page 247
Chiastolite <Xpage=247>
Chi*as"to*lite (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ marked with a χ + -lite . See Chiasm . So called from the resemblance of the cross cuts of is crystals to the Greek letter χ.] (Min.) A variety of andalusite; -- called also macle . The tesselated apperance of a cross section is due to the symmetrical arrangement of impurities in the crystal.
Chibbal <Xpage=247>
Chib"bal (?) , n. (Bot.) See Cibol .
Chibouque, Chibouk <Xpage=247>
Chi*bouque" , Chi*bouk" (?) , n. [F. chibouque , fr. Turk.] A Turkish pipe, usually with a mouthpiece of amber, a stem, four or five feet long and not pliant, of some valuable wood, and a bowl of baked clay.
Chic <Xpage=247>
Chic (?) , n. [F.] Good form; style. [Slang]
<-- adj. in good form, stylish; in current fashion, fashionable. -->
Chica <Xpage=247>
Chi"ca (?) , n. [Sp.] A red coloring matter. extracted from the Bignonia Chica , used by some tribes of South American Indians to stain the skin.
2. A fermented liquor or beer made in South American from a decoction of maize.