chamberer 
2. A mistress; a concubine. 
I ne held me never digue in no inanere 
To be your wif, ne yet your chamberere. 
Chaucer, Clerk's Tale, 1. 7t>6. 
Abraham hadde another soue Ysniael, that he gat upon 
Agar hi* <'lniin/imv. VfmdevUU, Travels, p. 102. 
3. One who attends in a chamber ; a groom of 
a chamber ; a chamberlain. 
There parflt treuthe and pouere hert* is and pacience of 
There 'ifc'haritee, the chief chaumbrere for god hymselue ! 
Piers Plowman (B), xiv. 100. 
4. A chambermaid ; a lady's-maid. 
Ladies fain-, ith their gentelwomen chamberen also. 
Arnold'* Chronicle, fol. IDS. 
chamber-fellOW (cham'ber-fel // o), n. One who flie division of the chamber-segments of the body int. 
occupies the same apartment with another. riiamixrletted sub-segments. Awer. Jour. Sri., CLX. 32s. 
chamber-gage (cham'ber-gaj), w. An instru- chamber-lye (cham'ber-li), n. [Also chamber- 
ment used to verify the form and dimensions He; < chamber + lye.'] Urine.^ Shal: 
of the chambers of small arms and of cannon. 
chamber-hangings (cham'lx>r-hang"ingz), n. 
ill. Tapestry or hangings for a chamber. 
chambering '(cham'ber-iug), n. 1. Same as 
oanieratioii, '2. 
The chambering of the test does not express a corre- 
sponding cell-segmentation of the protoplasm. 
Encyc. Brit., XIX. 846. 
2f. Lewd, dissolute behavior. 
Let us walk honestly, . . . not in rioting and drunken- 
ness, not in chambering and wantonness. Rom. xiii. 13. 
chamber-kiln (cham'ber-kil), n. A brick- or 
tile-kiln having chambers or compartments, 
sometimes so arranged that they can be heated 
successively, 
chamberlain (chain 'ber -Ian), n. [Formerly 
chamberlin, < ME. chambeflayn, -laine, -leyn, 
-lein, etc., once chaumberling, < OF. chambrelein, 
chamfer 
The profltsof his ehamberlain*liii> being moderate, . . . called the traverse, and the two side pieces or 
he had eked it out a little with some practice in his origi- p os tg are called the ascendants. 
nal profession. Scott, Abbot, H. 78. g^ambray (sham ' bra), n. [Cf . cambric.'] A 
I of gingham in plain colors with linen fin- 
ish, used for women's gowns. K. II. Knight. 
chambrel (kam'brel), n. A variant of gambrel. 
chameck (cha-mek'), n. [Braz.] A Brazilian 
monkey of the genus Ateles and family Cebida;. 
The head is round and small : the limbs are long and slen- 
der; and the thumb of the forv hand* is wanting. It is 
a very gentle creature, and susceptible of a high degree 
of training. The length of the body is about 20 inches, 
and of the tail over 2 feet. 
M. See chaiiiifleo. 
chamberlet (cham'ber-let), M. [< chamber + 
dim. -let.'] A small chamber, as one of the di- 
visions of the test of a foraminiferous animal- 
cule. 
The principal chambers are subdivided into c 
as in Orbiculina. Encyc. Brit., IX. 376. 
Thus, . . . if wecompareOrbitoliteswithC'ycloi-lypi-ns. 
we recognize the same plan of growth in each, the eham- 
Ifrlet* being arranged in concentric rings around the pri- 
mordial chamber. II'. K. Carpenter, Micros., 461. 
chamberleted, chamberletted (cham'ber-let- ^ uai ^ ... _ ... 
ed), a. [< chamberlet + -ed%.] Divided into or chameleon (ka-me'le-on), n. [The mod. spelling 
supplied with chamberlets or small chambers, chameleon, sometimes " chama-leini, imitates the 
L. (like ehamomile for camomile) ; early mod. E. 
cameleon, camelion, < ME. camelion, < L. chamce- 
leon (= Ar. Pers. qalanmn), < Gr. maaAtav, lit. 
' ground-lion,' that is, low or dwarf lion,< xauai, 
on the ground, + /.euv, lion.] 1. A lizard-like 
reptile of the family Chama>leontid; having a 
naked body, a prehensile tail, feet suited for 
branches, and the eye covered by a 
in the 
chambermaid (cham'ber-mad), . If. A maid 
or female servant who dresses a lady and waits 
on her in her own room ; a lady's-maid. 
Whereas they [the chaplains] petition to be freed from 
being a deodand, and belonging to holy Church. 
Reply to Ladies and Bachelor* Petition, Hi',14 
[(Harl. Misc., IV. 440). 
2. A woman who has the care of chambers, 
making the beds and cleaning the rooms. 
Readers are respectfully requested to notice that Mrs. 
Pratchett was not a waitress, but a chambermaid. 
Dickens, Somebody's Luggage. 
3. A theatrical name for an actress who plays 
the more broadly comic parts; a soubrette. 
In sprightly parts, in genteel comedy, in all chamber- 
maide, In melodramatic characters, especially where pan- 
tomimic action was needed, she [Mrs. Charles Kemblel 
Damn, Annals of the Stage, II. 282. 
center. There are about 59 species, of which the best- 
known is Chamaleon culgaru, a native of Africa, extend- 
ing into Asia and the south of Europe. Its body is 6 or 
7 inches long, and the tail 5 inches. The skin is cold to tin- 
..... , ---- , ... was excellent. , , . 
dtambrclene, later chamberlain, F. chambellan cnaml)er . mas ter (cham'ber-nias"t6r), n. A 
(after ML. cambellcmus) = Pr. camurUne = Sp. ^ em . lker who m v akes up his own material at 
oanarlmgo = fg.eamerUiuo = It. eamarUngo, ho and disposea of it to the shops. Mauhnc. 
camerlenijo, camerhngo ( > F. c<imerlingue),< ML. c w al n^ a i r .i nln jc (cham'ber-mu"zik), n. Music, 
m-marlinyus, camerlingus, cainerlengus(a,\soca- J instrumental or vocal, which is specially 
mcrlanus, Cumberland. eambeUanus, alter' ;.), Bui tedforperfornianceina8raallroom: opposed 
< OHG. chamarUnc, -ling, UHG.kemerhnc, G. tQ concer f music and a i so to church music and 
kammerUmj (= D. kamerhng), < OHG. chamara, (ic mw , iCf ' The tml) comraonlv applled to con- 
G. hammer (= F. chambre, t,. chamber, q. V., <. cc ^,i mus i c for solo instruments, such as string quartets, 
L camera), chamber, + -ling = E. -ling 1 : see e tc. it was first used early in the seventeenth century to 
chamber and -linnl.] 1. A person charged with designate all music not adapted to the uses of the church 
the direction and management of a chamber or -the theater. Originally, therefore, it included concert- 
chambers. specifically (at) An attendant, sometimes c h a mber-oriran (eham'ber-6r''gan), n. A small 
a male, sometimes a female, at an inn ; a head waiter or ~"*'f 1 ,^ menu- a cabinet organ or one de- 
upper chambermaid or a person discharging duties analo- portable i c m_, _ a J^bm^etJJrgan^ one ae 
signed for use in a small room, public or private. 
chamber-piece (cham'ber-pes), n. In her., a 
mounted or dismounted. 
See chamber, 6. 
A vessel for 
uppe: , 
gous to those of such attendants. 
Think'st thou 
That the bleak air, thy boisterous chamberlain, 
Will put thy shirt on warm * Shak., T. of A., iv. 3. 
""^"^Mw'vel'T^if" Chamber-pot (cham'ber-pot), n 
urine, used in bedrooms. 
chamber-practice (cham'ber-prak"tis), n. The 
iord'areaichai'iberiainol Great Britain is the sixth officer practice of a chamber-counselor, 
of the crown. His functions, always important, have va- g ]la(] the repu tation ... of excellent discernment in 
ried in different reigns. The duties which now devolve ^ c hambtr practice of the law. Lamb, Old Benchers. 
nTcorolmUon fth^ offl..^^ i^of^fr chamber-story (cham'ber-sto'ri), n. The story 
minster ; the provision of furniture for the houses of or one of the stones of a house appropriated 
Parliament, and for Westminster Hall when used on great f or bedrooms. Gwilt. 
St^, ; bi^op^etnLrperfo P ,rth^Vttagr^ Chambertin (F. pron. Bhon-ber-ta-nO,^ Jeap. 
office is now jointly held by the families of C'holmondeley or I. C.J 
and Willoughby de Eresby, and the honors are enjoyed in gundy 
each alternate reign by each family successively. The named 
Chameleon {Chantalfmt I'lttrtin**. 
touch, and contains small grains or eminences which are of 
a bluish-gray color in the shade, but in the light of the 
aim all parts of the body become of a grayish-brown or 
tawny color. The extraordinary faculty which the cha 
meleon possesses of changing its color, in accordance with 
that of the objects by which it is surrounded or with it* 
temper when disturbed, is due to the presence of clear or 
lain ber-pes), n. .11 ner., a .^lent-bearing contractile cells placed at various depths 
short cannon or mortar, represented either { y le an\n t their contractions and dilatations being under 
.[F 
office of lord chamberlain of the household, generally called 
simply the lord chamberlain, is quite distinct from that of 
the lord great chamberlain, and is changed with the ad- 
ministration. This officer has the control of all parts of 
the household (except the ladies of the queen's bedcham- 
ber) which are not under the direction of the lord steward, 
the groom of the stole, or the master of the horse. The 
king's (queen's) chaplains, physicians, surgeons, etc., as 
well as the royal tradesmen, are in his appointment; the 
companies of actors at the royal theaters are under his 
regulation ; and he is also the licenser of plays. He has 
under him a vice-chamberlain. 
As likewise, divers others made their Claims : Robert 
de Vere, Earl of Oxford, to have the Office of Chamber- chamblett 
lain, and to pour out Water for the King to wash. , 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 136. ana t. An OD- 
2. Originally, the keeper of the treasure-cham- ^ m i^ t ""jspa^. 
ber; hence, a receiver of rents and revenues; an( i jpj 
a treasurer: as, the chamberlain of a corpora- 
tion. The name is given in some of the larger cities and 
towns both of Great Britain and of the United States to the 
treasurer or officer who has charge of the moneys of the 
municipal corporations. 
Erastns the chamberlain of the city saluteth you. 
Rom. xvi. 23. 
The Chamberlain receives all the rents and dues be- 
longing to the corporation, except those received for char- 
ities, and makes all payments. He attends on the admis- 
sion of freemen, and examines the evidence. The property 
of the corporation is under his care and superintendence. 
Municip. Corp. Reports (1836), p. 2464. 
chamberlainship (cham'ber-lan-ship), n. [< 
chamberlain + -ship.] The office or dignity of 
a chamberlain. 
A red wine made in 
_,, in tne department of Cote-d'Or, and 
named from the vineyard of Chambertin, of 
about 60 acres, near Dijon, on the celebrated 
hillside which gives the name to the depart- 
ment. The wine ranks among the first six or seven of 
Burgundy, and therefore among the chief red wines of the 
world. 
The chambertin with yellow seal. 
Thackeray. Bouillabaisse. 
We will try a bot- 
tle of the Chamber- 
tin to-day, Vincent. 
Buhner, Pelham, 
[xxviil. 
/ a ham - branl ' ), 
M. [F.j etym. 
uncertain.] In 
arch., a struc- 
tural feature, 
often ornament- 
_i inoinaiiitr thn 
1 ' ") '"", "& f 
i ;Op_ui 
a doorway, Win- 
d OW) fireplace, 
or similar open- 
ing. The top 
piece or beam is 
Chambranle. 
North door of the Erechtheum, Athens. 
, 
the control of the nervous system. Its power of fasting 
and habit of inflating itself gave rise to the fable that it 
lives on air.- It is in reality insectivorous, its tongue, 
which is long and covered with a viscid saliva, being dart- 
ed at its prey and securing it when touched. 
.Snakes that cast your coats for new, 
Chameleoiu that alter hue. 
Fletcher, Faithful Shepherdess, lit 1. 
The thin chameleon, fed with air, receives 
The colour of the thing to which he cleaves. 
Drydf-n. 
As a lover or chameleon 
Grows like what it looks upon. 
Shelley, Prometheus Unbound, iv. 1. 
2. In the southern United States and West In- 
dies, a true lizard of the family Anolidida or 
Iyuanid(e. Also chamaleo. 3. [cap.'] A con- 
stellation invented by Bayer, situated beneath 
the feet of the Centaur.-^ Chameleon mineral, a 
name formerly given to a mass produced by fusing oxid of 
manganese with niter or potash, and consisting essentially 
of the manganate of potassa. It is readily converted into 
the reddish-purple permanganate, and also into salts hav- 
ing manganese as the base and possessing no strong color. 
When dissolved in water it assumes a variety of colors, 
passing rapidly from green to blue, purple, and red. 
Ohameleonida, Chameleonidae, etc. See Cha- 
mftleonida, etc. 
chameleonize (ka-me'le-on-!z), r. t. ; pret. and 
pp. chameleonized, ppr. ctiameleonizing. [< cha- 
meleon + -ire.] To change into various colors. 
Bailey. [Bare.] 
chamelott, n. Same as camlet. Spenser. 
chamfer (cham'fer), n. [Also chamfret, early 
mod. E. chamfre, chanfer, < OF. chamfrein, 
fhamfrain, F. chanfrein (= Sp. ehaflan), a cham- 
fer; origin uncertain ; perhaps a particular use 
of clianfrein, a chamfron: see chamfron.] 1. 
In carp., a groove or furrow. 2. A bevel or 
slope ; the comer of anything originally right- 
angled cut away so as to make an angle with 
the sides which form it. Also chamfering. 
chamfer (cham'fer), v. t. [< chamfer, .] 1. In 
carp., to cut a furrow in; flute; channel. 2. 
To cut or grind in a sloping manner, as the 
edge of anything square, so as to form a bevel. 
