chesten 
And there l>en grete l-'orrstes of Chexteynes. 
Miiiiilmille, Travels, p. 307. 
chesten-nutt, See 
Chester (chcs'tei-), . [_As a miffix in place- 
names, -I'ln-xli-i; -crxti-r, -ctinli-i; disguised -lir : 
< ME. chcstre, a town, a city, as suftix -ckentrr, 
-ccstre, -caxtre, < AS. mcxfrr, a town or city, 
chiefly in place-names, either in eomp. or prc- 
ceded by the independent gen. of the distinctive 
name (see def.). This is one of the few words 
recognized as inherited from the Roman invad- 
ers of Britain (see street): < L. contra, a camp, 
a military station, hence in AS. a town: see 
1'nxt ni in, i-iixlli'.} Originally, a town; now, the 
proper name of several towns and cities in Eng- 
land and the United States, the most ancient 
being (.'heater [ME. Clicstre, AS. Ceaster], the 
capital of Cheshire {Cheater-shire, AS. Ceaster- 
scir], on the river Dee, in England, the term more 
frequently occurs as a sulllx (-client? i; -center, -caster, -If r) 
in place-names : as, t\,l>-li, *(<'! [MIC. Col-rttrxtrf-, AS. Colne- 
ce.aster\, on the river Oolne ; Cirencesler [ME. Cirecestre, 
Cirr.estrf, Aft. Cireitcefmter], the station of Ciren (Cori n i u at >: 
A'.iv'/'T ] M K. /','.rrv,s7/v, ctr., AS. K.r<uh-'n*t,-i\ K*tic>'xt<T\. on 
the river Kxe [AS. l-.'.i n \ ; />.<mvrsV/-/-, on the river Don, etc. 
chesterfield (ches'ter-feld), 11. A kind of top- 
coat, named after the celebrated Earl of Ches- 
terflald. 
Chesterfieldian (ches'ter-fel"di-an), a. [< 
Ckeeterfleld (see def.) + -JM.] Characteristic 
of the Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773), an Eng- 
lish courtier and politician distinguished for the 
elegance of his manners, and as the author of 
a series of letters addressed to his son contain- 
ing maxims of conduct, together with many 
suggestions as to manners. 
Few young people, it has been truthfully said, can lay 
themselves out to please after the Chesterfeldum method, 
without making themselves offensive or ridiculous to per- 
sons of any discernment. 
W. Matthew*, Getting on in the World, p. 167. 
chesterlite (ches'ter-llt), n. [< Chester (seedef.) 
+ -lite.'] A variety of potash feldspar, occurring 
in small white crystals implanted on dolomite, 
from Chester county, Pennsylvania. 
chestevnt, See chesten. 
chest-founder ( chest 'founder), n. Chest- 
foundering. 
chest-foundered (chest'foun"derd), a. Suffer- 
ing from chest-foundering: said of a horse. 
chest-foundering (chesffouu'der-ing), . A 
rheumatic affection of the muscles of the chest 
and fore legs in horses, impeding both respira- 
tion and the motion of the limbs. 
chest-lock (chest'lok), n. A mortise-lock in- 
serted vertically into the body of a box or chest. 
The plate which is set into the under side of the lid has a 
staple or staples, into which the bolt enters by a horizon- 
tal movement. E. //. Kniqht. 
chest-measure (chest'mezb/nr), n. The great- 
est girth of the chest. 
chest-measurer (chest'mezh'ur-er), n. An in- 
strument for ascertaining the mobility of the 
chest by its expansion and contraction ; a form 
of stethometer. 
chestnut (ches'nut), . and a. [Contr. of ear- 
lier chesten-nut (prop, applied to the nut, the tree 
being also called in ME. chesten-tree, or simply 
chesten), < chesten, q. v., + nut.'] I. n. 1. The 
fruit of trees of the genus Costarica. See 2. 
The chestnuts of commerce known as Spanish or sweet 
chestnuts are obtained from Spain and Italy, and are 
larger though less sweet than the American variety. 
2. The tree Castanea vesca, natural order Cupu- 
Uferce, a native of western Asia, southern Eu- 
rope, and the United States east of the Missis- 
sippi. It is a stately tree, attaining a height of from 80 
to 100 feet, hearing staminate flowers in long slender 
951 
aments, and nuts inclosed two or three together in a glo- 
bose priekly envelop called the bur. The wood in litilit. 
soft, coarse Drained, and brittle ; it is largely used in < al> 
[net-making, all for railway-ties, fenring, cti-. The ynnii^ 
Hood in more elastic, and is used for hoops and similar 
purposes. 
3. A name given to certain trees or plunfs of 
other genera, and to their fruit. See below. 4. 
The color of a chestnut ; a reddish-brown color. 
/.'"-. His hair is of a good colour. 
Cel. An excellent colour; your cfirxtnut was ever the 
only colour. Shale., As you Like it, iii. 4. 
5. In farriery, the bur or horny wart-like ex- 
crescence on the inner side of a horse's leg. 
6. [In allusion to a stale or worm-eaten chest- 
nut.] () An old joke: a trite jest; astalepun 
or anecdote; a "Joe Miller." (6) A worn-out 
phrase or catchword; a phrase or expression 
serious in form and intent, but which has 
ceased, through futile repetition, to command 
interest or respect. [ U. S. newspaper slang.] 
Cape Chestnut, the Calodnulrnn <//<.<., a large orna- 
mental rntaeeotis treeof southern Afrira. - Earth-Chest- 
nut, the carthnut. Horse-chestnut, the ./,'*<(* ///'//- 
//"c-/,s7r///i/;//. see . /-.'.VC/'/M.V. MoTeton Bay chestnut, 
of Queensland, the seed of the Castaiuupennum auttntlr, 
which somewhat resembles the chestnut in flavor. Tahi- 
ti chestnut, the fruit of Inocarpus edulix, a leguminous 
tree of the islands of the Pacific. Wild chestnut, of 
Cape Colony, the seed of Brabejum stellatutn, which is 
eaten and used as a substitute for coffee. (See also water- 
chetttnut.) 
II. a. Of the color of a chestnut ; of a red- 
dish-brown color ; castaneous. 
His chestnut curls clustered over his open brow. 
Disraeh, Coniugsby, L 1. 
Also spelled chesnut. 
Chestnut-brown. See tn-oam. 
chestnut-bur (ches'nut-ber), n. The bur or 
prickly envelop of a chestnut. 
chestnut-coal (ches'nut-kol), n. A size of an- 
thracite coal small enough to pass through a 
square mesh of an inch to an inch and an eighth 
in size, but too large to pass through a mesh 
of five eighths or one half of an inch. It is 
known in the trade as No. 5 coal. 
chestonH, See chesten. 
cheston 2 t (ches'ton), n. [Perhaps a use of 
chesten, cheston, etc., a chestnut-tree; from 
some resemblance.] A kind of plum. 
chest-register (chesfrej^is-ter), n. The lower 
portion of the compass of both male and female 
voices, which most easily arouses sympathetic 
vibration in the cavity of the chest or thorax. 
chest-rope (chest 'rop), n. Naut., an extra 
painter or boat-rope, by which a boat is made 
fast astern of a ship. 
chest-saw (chest'sa), n. A kind of hand-saw 
without a back. E. H. Knight. 
chest-tone (chest'ton), n. Same as chest-voice. 
chest-trapt, n. A kind of box or trap used to 
take polecats, fitches, and the like vermin. 
Kersey, 1708. 
chest-voice (chest 'vois), n. A tone of the 
voice which arouses sympathetic vibration in 
the chest or thorax. Also called chest-tone. 
See head-voice. 
chesublet, An obsolete form of chasuble. 
chet (chet), n. [Assibilated var. of Id ft. Cf. 
chat 3 , a cat.] A kitten. [Prov. Eng.] 
chetah, cheeta, cheetah (che'ts), n. [< Hind. 
chita, the hunting-leopard; cf.' chital, chitta, 
Skt. chitra, spotted, variegated, < Skt. / chit, 
look at, perceive. Cf. chintz^, from the same 
ult. source.] The native name of the guepard 
or hunting-leopard of India, Felis jubata, now 
chevalet 
seen, its keeper turns its head in the propi-r dhvetion ami 
n moves the hood; the ehelah slips from the ear, and, 
approaching its prey in a slealth.v manner, spriiicn on it 
at one hoimd. 
Chettik (chef'ik), n. [Native name.] Alive 
of Java, the Slri/clinox tii-ntr, ami the poison ob- 
tained from it, called UJHIX tii-ulf, which is the 
principal ingredient of arrow-poison. 
Chettusia (ke-tu'si-ft), n. [NL. (Bonaparte, 
1839) ; also written Chctusia, Ckoetugia, Chtftimiti, 
the last appar. based on Gr. x an 1, ' n K> flowing 
hair, a mane : see cha-ta.~\ A genus of plovers, 
of the subfamily ('linniilriinte; the spur-winged 
plovers. The wing is armed with a horny tubercle or 
Spur-winged Plover \Chfttusia 
Flowering Branch and Nut of Chestnut (Castanea 
Chetah Gurparda jubala]. 
Gueparda jubata or CyiMelurits jubatvs, a large 
spotted cat, somewhat like a dog in shape, 
with long legs, non-retractile claws, and the 
upper sectorial tooth without an internal lobe. 
It is the type of the subfamily Guepardina. It is called 
jubata (mailed or crested) from the short mane-like crest 
of hairs passing from the back of the head to the shoul- 
ders. When used for hunting, it is hooded and trans- 
ported on a car. When a herd of deer or other game is 
spine, sometimes rudimentary ; the lia.sc of the bill In most 
species is wattled; and the toes are four in number. There 
are about 15 species, all inhabitants of the old world, and 
chiefly of warm countries. Those with the spines and 
wattles best developed constitute the section Lobivantlha. 
The type of the genus is C. yregaria. 
chetverik (chet-ve-rik'), . [Russ. chetceriM, 
< chetvero : see chetvert.'] A Russian dry mea- 
sure, equal to 8 garnetses, or 4 chetvertkas, or 
i chetvert, and fixed by a ukase of 1835 at the 
volume of 64 Russian pounds of water at 62 F., 
or 1601.22 cubic inches, equal to about 3 United 
States pecks. It was previously about 26.8 liters. The 
old measures of Novgorod, Pscov, etc., were at least half 
as large again. Also written chetwerik, ttchetwerik [Q.], 
czetuvricka. 
chetvert (chet 'vert), n. [< Russ. chetvertu, 
prop, a quarter, a fourth part, < chetvero = L. 
quatuor = E. four.'] A Russian dry measure, 
equal to 8 chetveriks. Also written tzetuer, 
tschetwert [G.]. 
chetvertak (chet'vfer-tak), n. [Russ. chetver- 
inl.ii, < chetvertvii, fourth, quarter, < chetvero : 
see chetvert.] A Russian silver coin, worth 24 
copecks, or about 19 cents. Also written tschet- 
wertak [G.], tchetverka. 
chetvertka (chet-vert'ka), n. [Russ. chetvert- 
ka, < ehetvertuii, fourtn: see chetvertak.'] A 
Russian dry measure, equal to i chetverik. 
Also written tschetwertha [G.], etc. 
chevachiet, . [ME., also chivachie, chivache, 
chevache, < OF. chevauchee, -chie. chivalchee, < 
chevaucher, ride on horseback, < cheval, a horse. 
See cavalcade, which is a doublet.] An expe- 
dition on horseback or with cavalry ; in a wider 
sense, any military expedition. Chaucer. 
Ye knowe well that we heue loste in this chyuachie that 
we have made vpon the kynge Arthur. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 173. 
chevaget, n. Same as chiefage. 
chevaHshe-val'), .; pi. chevaux (-vo'). [Now 
as mere F., in early mod. E. chival, < F. cheval, 
< L. caballus, a horse: see cabaft, capel 1 . In 
the sense of support or frame, cf. easel and 
clothes-horse. Hence chevalier, and ult. chival- 
ry, etc.] 1. A horse. 2. In composition, a 
support or frame: as, a cftmzf-glass __ A cheval 
(mtltt.), astraddle ; on both sides simultaneously ; in such a 
manner as to command any intermediate space. Troops are 
arranged d cheval when they command two roads, as the 
British army at Waterloo, which, being posted at their 
junction, commanded the road between Charleroi and 
Brussels and that to Mons. 
The Western Powers will assuredly never permit Russia 
to place herself a cheval between the Ottoman Empire and 
Persia. London Timtt. 
cheval-de-frise (she-val'de-frez'), . 1. Same 
as chevaux-de-frisc. 2. A kind of trimming in a 
pattern of radiating and crossing straight lines. 
cnevalement (she-val'mon), n. [P., < chevaler, 
prop, bear up, < cheval, a horse, prop : see che- 
val?] In arch., a prop, usually consisting of a 
shaft of timber with a head formed of one or 
more pieces placed transversely to distribute the 
pressure. It is used to support temporarily portions of 
an edifice of which the lower parts are being rebuilt or 
are undergoing repairs or modifications of such character 
as to affect their stability. 
chevalet (shev'a-la), n. [F., dim. of cheval, a 
horse, prop: see cheval.'} The bridge of a vio- 
lin, pianoforte, or other stringed instrument. 
