chidester 
chidestert, n. [ME., < chide + -ster; a var. of 
chider, where see first extract.] A female scold. 
Chaucer. 
chiding (chi'ding), . [< ME. chtatog, < AS. 
cidimg, verbal n. of cidan, chide: see chide, v.] 
1. The act of reproving, rebuking, berating, 
or scolding; utterance of reproof or reproach. 
And churlish eluding of the winter's wind. 
Shak., As you Like it, n. 1. 
You see us friends now, 
Heartily friends, and no more chiding, gentlemen. 
Fletcher, Spanish Curate, iv. 7. 
2. A murmuring or brawling noise. 
The eludings of the headlong brook. 
Mallet, A Fragment. 
3. In hunting, the sound made by hounds in 
full cry ; baying. 
They hay'd the bear 
With hounds of Sparta : never did I hear 
Such gallant chiding. Shak., II. N. D., iv. 1. 
chidingly (chi'ding-li), adv. In a scolding or 
wrangling manner. 
chief (chef), n. and a. [< ME. cheef, chefe, chef, 
rarely chief, head, head man, = Sp. jefe = Pg. 
chefe, < OF. chef, chief, F. chef = Sp. Pg. cabo 
= It. capo, < L. caput, head : see caput, capi- 
tal, and of. cape 2 , a doublet of chief.] I. n. If. 
A head ; the head or upper part of anything. 
In the che/e of the choise halle, chosen for the kyng, 
Was a grouude vp graid with gresis [steps] of Marbill. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 163. 
Where bene the nosegayes that she dight for thee 1 
The coloured chaplets wrought with a chiefe ? 
Spenser, Shep. Cal., November. 
2. The person highest in authority ; the head 
or head man. Specifically (a) A military command- 
er ; the person who leads an army. 
And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first 
shall be cA/and captain. 1 Chron. xi. . 
Such chiefs, as each an army seemed alone. Dryden. 
(6) A principal, leader, or director in general ; especially, 
the hereditary or the chosen head of a clan or tribe : used 
as a title particularly for the heads of Scottish Highland 
clans, and for the controlling or governing heads of un- 
civilized or semi-civilized tribes. 
Hail to the chief who in triumph advances ! 
Scott, L. of the L., ii. 19. 
In Tonga it is supposed that only the chiefs have souls. 
H. Spencer, Prin. of Sociol., 99. 
(c) The principal officer of a bureau or division of the civil 
service, or of an editorial staff, newspaper office, mercan- 
tile establishment, or other organized body. 
3. The principal or most important part or por- 
tion ; the bulk or larger part of one thing or of 
many. 
The people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief 
of the things which should have been utterly destroyed. 
1 Sam. xv. 21. 
The chief of my conversation. 
Hervey, Meditations, I. 129. 
4. In her., the head or upper part of the es- 
cutcheon, from side to side, cut off horizon- 
tally by a straight line, and con- 
taining properly a third part of 
the dimensions of the escutcheon. 
It is one of the honorable ordinaries, and 
is commonly considered as divided into 
dexter, sinister, and middle, the charges 
upon it being thus blazoned. 
5t. The prime ; the most impor- Argent 1 chief 
tant part. 
In the chief of his youth, he was taken from school into 
the court, and there passed all his time in much trouble 
and business. Sir T. More, Utopia, tr. by Robinson, i. 
In Chief [ME. in chief, in chef, < OF. en chef, < L. (ML.) 
in capite]. (a) At the' head ; in the principal or highest 
position or office : as, the commander-iii-cAie/. (6) In her. , 
charged upon the upper part of the shield : a term gener- 
ally used when the chief itself is not indicated, (c) Direct- 
ly : said of land tenure : as, to hold land in chief (to hold 
it directly from the sovereign by honorable personal ser- 
vices), (d) In direct or original procedure : as, an exami- 
nation in chief. See examination. Little Chief hare. 
See Lagomys and pika. Per chief, in her., divided by the 
horizontal line which separates the chief from the rest of 
the field. Thus, an escutcheon may be blazoned as per 
chief argent and gules ; but this form is rare, it being usual 
to say gules a chief argent. = Syn. 2. Chief, Chieftain, 
Commander, Leader, Head. Chief, literally the head, is 
applied to one who occupies the highest rank in military 
or civil matters : as, an Indian chief ; a military chief; the 
chief of a department in the civil service ; a party chief. 
Chieftain is now mostly poetic, and is sometimes used in 
prose where the leadership is peculiarly suggestive of the 
past : as, a Highland chieftain. A commander is one who 
issues commands to a body or organization of a military or 
naval character, or has authority over it : as, the com- 
mander of the army in the East ; the commander of the 
Asiatic squadron. A leader is the head of a party or fac- 
tion, or one who conducts some special undertaking, per- 
haps actually going at the head: as, the leader of the 
House of Commons ; the leader of the Conservative or "Re- 
publican party ; the leader of the storming party or for- 
lorn hope ; a leader of fashion. Head is applied to the 
chief of a tribe or family or profession : as, the head of 
the house of Cavendish ; the head of the church ; the head 
of the bar. 
956 
The Governor, together with the Arab chiefs and about 
twenty of their men, came up to my room. 
O'Donovan, Merv, x. 
The pibroch sounds, the bands advance, 
The broad-swords gleam, the banners dance, 
Obedient to the Chieftain's glance. 
Scott, L. of theL.,iv. 8. 
Bid our commanders lead their charges off 
A little from this ground. Shak., J. C., iv. 2. 
Let a people's voice . . . 
Attest their great commander's claim. 
Tennyson, Duke of Wellington, vi. 
Each [member of Clan Chattan] as he was led to the gal- 
lows . . . was offered a pardon if he would reveal the 
hiding-place of his Chief, but ... no sort of punishment 
could induce them to be guilty of treachery to their leader. 
Lecky, Eng. in 18th Cent., v. 
There arises first a temporary and then a permanent 
military head, who passes insensibly into a political head. 
H. Spencer, Prin. of Sociol., 250. 
chieve 
The causes of this change lie chiefly (ftie Venetians would 
be apt to tell you wholly) in the implacable anger, the in- 
consolable discontent, with which the people regard their 
present political condition. lluwells, Venetian Life, i. 
= Syn. Mainly, especially, eminently, primarily. 
chief-rent (chef'rent), n. Same as quit-rent. 
chiefriet, '. An obsolete form of chiefry. 
chiefry (chef'ri), . [< chief + -ry, formerly 
-)-ic.] 1. A rent or duty paid to the lord para- 
mount. 
My purpose is to rate the rents of all those landes of her 
Majestie in such sorte, unto those Englishmen which shall 
take them, as they may be well able to live thereupon, to 
yeeld her Majestie reasonable cheverye. 
Spenser, State of Ireland. 
2. The landed property of a chief or lord; a 
demain. 
When . . . the eldest son had once taken the place of 
his uncle as the heir to the humbler chieftaincies, he 
II a 1 Hisrhest in office, authority, rank, -- - 
ro thp rpt r,rin< doubtless also obtained that portion of land attached to 
or estimation; placed above tne rest, pru tlieSiK , loryo rc/iic/yywhiclMvontwithoutpartitiontothe 
pal : as, a chief priest ; the chief butler. [CAic/ is Tanaist. Maim, Early Hist, of Institutions, p. 204. 
not now regarded as admitting of degrees of comparison, .._.._ / n i,5f/.i,: v ,\ , r/ ],,<> j. 7)jn 1 TTio 
but formerly the superlative chiefest was often used.] chiefship (chef ship), . [_<. ClneJ -f -Slup.\ 1 
Our kyng which we hild moste chefe vs among mc< 3 or rank of chlef 
In many tribes the chief ship was prudently made hered- 
itary through the female' line. The Century, XXVI. 106. 
chieftain (chef'tan), n. [< ME. chefetain, chef- 
tain, chevetein, ch'eventein, etc., < OF. chevetaine, 
< ML. capitamis, whence also ult. E. captain, 
which is thus a doublet of chieftain: see cap- 
tain.] A captain, leader, or commander; a 
Litell hath fro hym deffeuded our wrong. 
Rom. of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), 1. 4421. 
Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen. 
1 Sam. xxi. 7. 
Among the chief rulers also many believed on him. 
John xii. 42. 
Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son. 
Shak., Hamlet, i. 2. 
o/tun., uaiuici/, i. ,. iuiit-fj xi \^ai^i^ainj ACWVA^AJ v* vwu*. 
Hence 2. Principal or most eminent, in any chief; the head of a troop, army, or clan. 
quality or action; such that others (things, 
persons, particulars of any kind) are by com- 
parison inferior or subordinate ; most impor- 
tant ; leading ; main ; most conspicuous. 
He was he (you say verray certainly), 
That euer ther was moste chef of goodnesse. 
Rom. of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), 1. 6302. 
That themes so easy few forbear to sing. 
Crabbe, The Village. 
3. Intimate ; near ; close. [In this sense obso- 
lete except in Scotland, where it is still used: chieftainess (chef'tan-es), n. 
A chieftain, to the Highlands bound, 
Cries, " Boatman, do not tarry." 
Campbell, Lord Ullin's Daughter. 
It [the tribe] is of sufficient size and importance to con- 
stitute a political unit, and possibly at its apex is one 
of the numerous chieftains whom the Irish records call 
Kings. Maine, Early Hist, of Institutions, p. 92. 
= Syn Commander, Leader, etc. See chief. 
The hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in chieftaincy (chef 'tan-si), n. [< chieftain + -cy.] 
FrTtL cWoause these idle praises spring, The rank, dignity, 'or office of a chieftain. 
The laird of Raarsa has sometimes disputed the chief- 
taincy of the clan with Macleod of Skie. 
Johnson, Letter to Mrs. Thrale. 
[< chieftain + 
as. they are very chief -wi' ane anither.] -ess.'] A female chieftain. [Rare.] 
He [Rab] came limping up, and laid his great jaws in her Cbleftainryt (chef 'tan-ri), n. [< chieftain + 
lap: from that moment they were chief, as she said, James -n/.] Chieftainship. 
finding him mansuete and civil when he returned. chieftainship (chef 'tan-ship). n. [< chieftain 
Dr. J. Broum, Rab and his 1 fiends. + _ s/( y ( -j f ne office ' or ran k o f a chieftain; 
Chief baron. See baron, 2. Chief burgess. See bur- 
gess, 4. CMef cone. See cone. Chief constructor, 
See the nouns. 
chiefship. 
The tribal chieftainship and the religious organization 
engineer justice, magistrate, etc. See the nouns. The tribal chieftainship and the religious organization 
Chief tangent. See tangent. Chief tenant, or tenant of the Druids were both of them inherited from ami- 
... _ iTo _ .. * ' a n l^inn^ .*, i...,. ,, .., ,, t ntl. n 11 i 1 1r I*' I'OTI <1 P. ( 'flnSRTV II. 218. 
in capite. See in capite. = Syn. 2. First, paramount, su 
great, grand. 
chief (chef ), adv. [<chief,a.'] Chiefly. Thom- 
son. [Rare.] 
chiefaget (che'faj), . [Also written chevage, 
< OF. chevage, < chef, head: see ce/and -a^e.] 
A tribute by the head ; a poll-tax. 
chiefdom (chef'dum), n. [< chief + -dom.~\ 
Sovereignty. [Rare.] 
Zephyrus, . . . being in love with her [Chloris], . . . 
gave her for a dowrie the ehiefedom and soveraigntye of 
all flowres and greene herbs. 
Spenser, Shep. Cal., April, Gloss. 
chieferyt (che'fe-ri), n. [< chief + -ery.] A 
body of chief s ; chiefs taken collectively. Hol- 
land. 
chiefess (che'fes), n. [< chief + -ess.] A fe- 
male chief. Carver. [Rare.] 
Upon the mat sat, or reclined, several chiefesses. 
C. W. Stoddard, South-Sea Idyls, p. 289. 
chief-justiceship (chef 'jus 'tis -ship), n. The 
office or incumbency of a chief justice, 
chiefless (chef'les), , [< chief + -less.'] "With- 
out a chief or leader. 
Chiefless armies. 
chieflet (chef'let), n. [< chief + 
petty chief. [Rare.] 
chiefly (chef'li), a. [< chief, n., + -Zyi.] Of or 
pertaining to a chief ; proper to a chief. 
The habitual existence of chieftainship, and the estab- 
lishment of chiefly authority by war. 
H. Spencer, Man vs. State, p. 76. 
Inside the house are priceless treasures, rare Maori 
weapons of jade, long heirlooms in chiefly families. 
Edinburgh Ret., CLXIII. 419. 
Chiefly (chef'li), adv. [< chief, a., + -fy 2 .] 1. 
Principally ; above all ; in the first place ; emi- 
nently. 
And chiefly thou, Spirit, that dost prefer 
Before all temples the upright heart and pure. 
Milton, P. L., i. 17. 
2. For the most part; mostly: as, his estates 
were chiefly situated in Scotland. 
The vices of the administration must be chiefly ascribed 
to the weakness of the king and to the levity and violence 
of the favorite. Macaulay, Lord Bacon. 
quity. 
Fronde, Ca3sar, p. 218. 
chieftyt (chef'ti), n. [< chief + -ty, equiv. to 
-ship.] Headship; authority. 
A Bishop is a minister of God, unto whom with perma- 
nent continuance there is given ... a power of chtefty in 
government over Presbyters as well as Laymen, a power 
to he by way of jurisdiction a Pastor even to Pastors 
themselves. Hooker, Eccles. Polity, vii. 2. 
chiel (chel), n. [Sc., also chield, = E. child, 
which was also formerly applied to a young 
man: see child, 8, childe.~\ A young man; a 
fellow: used in either a good or a bad sense. 
[Scotch.] 
Buirdly chiels an' clever hizzies. Burns, The Twa Dogs. 
chievancet, [< ME. chevaunce, gain, < OF. 
chevance, F. chevance (> It. civanza, civanzo; 
ML. cheitancia), gain, < chevir, attain : see 
chieve^. Cf. chevisance.~\ An unlawful bargain ; 
traffic in which money is extorted as discount. 
Against unlawful chienances and exchanges, which is 
bastard usury. Bacon. 
chieve 1 t, v . [< ME. cheven, < OF. chevir, come 
to an end, make an end, bring to an end, corn- 
Pop,, Dunciad, iv. 617. P d . < f ./' he . ad >. extremity, end: see chief, 
-V,. . , . and cf. achieve, chemse, chemsh, clievisance, etc.] 
im. -et.j A j intranSi i. TO oome to an end. 
Yvel mote he chece f 
Chaucer, Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 214. 
2. To come to a head; grow; prosper; suc- 
ceed; speed; thrive. 
"Alias," said syr Arthure, "so lange have I lyffede, 
Hade I.wytene of this, wele had me chefede." 
llorte Arthure (E. E. T. S.), 1. 869. 
Sette hem southwarde sonner wol thai preve, 
Septentrion wol make hem latter cheve. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 83. 
3. To hasten. 
Hee graythed [prepared] hym a greate oste gryrn to be- 
holde, 
And cheued forthe, with the childe what chaunse so be- 
tide. AKxaunder of Macedoine (E. E. T. S.), 1. 78. 
Foul Chieve himt, foul fall him ; ill betide him ; may he 
have foul fortune, or ill speed. 
II. trans. To bring to an end; accomplish; 
achieve; do. 
