chieve 
I shall plainly ilo your commaundement, 
What-somcuer cost it for to cheue 
Sin it pleassith yow me it communnde to hent. 
Hum. i<< I'arlrmnj (E. E. T. S.), 1. 597. 
chieve'-'t, . An obsolete form of cliire 2 . 
chiff-chaff (chif'chaf), n. [Also called chip- 
chop, aud with humorous variation choice-and- 
cheap; imitative of its note.] A common Euro- 
pean bird of tho 
subfamily Syl- 
viiiHU or war- 
blers, the Syl- 
via hippolditi 
(Latham), S. 
rufa (Bech- 
stein), now 
1'hylloscopus 
ritfus: a near 
relative of the 
willow-warbler 
and wood-war- 
bler, which it 
much resem- 
bles. 
The little chif- 
chaff' was chit- 
chatting in the 
pine woods. 
The Century, 
[XXVII. 779. 
Chiff-chaff (Pkylloscopus rufmt. 
chiff-chaff (chif'chaf ), v. i. [See chiff-chaff, n.] 
To ntter the notes of the chiff-chaff. [Rare.] 
chiffon (shif'on; F. pron. she-fon'), >< [F., a 
rag or scrap, a bit of old stuff, < chiffe, a rag, 
flimsy stuff. J A bit of feminine finery; some- 
thing used by women purely for adornment. 
The love of chiffon* ingrained in the female mind is 
amply satisfied on every opportunity by elaborate descrip- 
tions of the toilettes of Court beauties, singers, and dan- 
cers. The Spectator, No. 3018, p. 683. 
Dinah wanted no chiffons, . . . possessing more milli- 
nery already than she knew what to do with. 
Annie Edwardes, A Oirton Girl, xlii. 
chiffonnier (shi-fon'ia), n. [< F. chiffonier, a 
rag-picker, a kind of cabinet, < cMffon, a rag, 
scrap: see chiffon.] 1. Properly, a small cabi- 
net with drawers ; in general, any ornamental 
piece of furniture used for containing orna- 
ments and curiosities. It differs from an elagere in 
being closed, having drawers or doors instead of open 
shelves. 
2. A case of drawers resembling a bureau, but 
higher in proportion to its width and less often 
provided with a mirror. 3. A rag-picker: in 
this sense used by English writers merely as a 
French word, with a feminine chiffonniere. 
chiffon-work (shif'on-werk), . A variety of 
patchwork in which very small pieces of silk, 
etc., are used. A solid material forms the foundation, 
and the scraps of silk, velvet, etc., are sewed upon the 
surface in various patterns. 
chiffre (she'fr), n. [F., a figure, cipher: see 
cipher.] In music, a figure used to denote the 
harmony, as in figured bass. 
chig (chig), v. t. ; pret. and pp. chigged, ppr. 
chigging. [A var. of chew. The guttural occurs 
in some of the cognate forms: see chew, v.] 
1. To chew. 2. To ruminate upon. [Prov. 
Eng. in both senses.] 
chig (chig), n. [< chig, v.] A chew; a quid. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
chigga, chlggre (chig'a, -6r), n. See chigoe. 
chignon (F. pron. she'nydn), n. [F., a chignon, 
prop, the nape of the neck, < OF. chaignonfi&lso 
F. chatnon, a link), < chaine, F. chalne, a chain: 
see chain.) A woman's hair gathered behind 
the head, or at the nape of the neck, in a roll or 
mass ; specifically, such a roll when made very 
large, as by arranging the hair over a cushion. 
Chignons have been made with false hair as a 
separate article of trade. 
She had a small blue eye, a massive chignon of yellow 
hair, and a mouth at once broad and comely. 
H. Jameii, Jr., Pass. Pilgrim, p. 53. 
Chignon-fungus, a microscopic organism of doubtful na- 
ture, sometimes found upon false hair. Amer. Nat., I. 379. 
chigoe (chig'6), n. [Also written chigo, chegoe, 
chigga, chiggre, jigger, etc. ; = F. chiqite; of West 
Indian or S. 
Amer. origin.] 
A very curious 
insect of the 
order Aphanip- 
tera, or fleas, 
and family P- 
licidce, Pulex or 
n*- I, Anterior part of female Ixjfore develop- 
pe- m ntofejsi(magniedtj.,iiidtanlS 
, ClOSely wings;a,maklnaturalsize); 3. female, full 
tlin f egfcs (natural size), as taken from a hu- 
the man toe; 4, male (magnified). 
957 
common flea, but of more minute size, found in 
the West Indies and South America. The f.-male 
burrows IteniMth the skin of the foot, and soon acquires tli-- 
size of a pea, its abdomen becoming distended with eggs. 
If these eggs remain to be hatched beneath the skin, great 
irritation ami even troublesome sores result. The insect 
must be extracted entire, and with great care, as soon as 
its presence is indicated by a slight itching or tingling. 
chigre (chig'er), n. Same as chigoe. 
chigwitt (chig' wit), u. [Prob. corrupted from 
Amer. Ind. squeteague.] An obsolete name of 
the squeteaguo or weakfish, Cynosciou rcgalis. 
Iliirriott, 1590. Also chickwit. 
chih (che), n. [Chinese ch'ih.] A Chinese mea- 
sure of length, equal to 10 Chinese tsun or inch- 
es, and to 14.1 English inches. Also written 
chec, cheli, and chik, the last representing the 
Cantonese pronunciation of the word. 
chi-heen, . See ehHt-hien. 
chih-fu, chih-foo (che'fo'), n. [Chinese, lit. 
' he who knows the fu or department,' < chih, 
know, + /, prefecture, department.] In China, 
the official in charge of a prefecture or depart- 
ment; a prefect, having general supervision 
of all the civil business of the hiens comprising 
his prefecture. See/. 
chih-hien, chi-heen (che'hyen'), . [Chinese, 
lit. 'he who knows the district,' < chih, know, 
+ Men, an administrative district.] In China, 
an official in charge of a hien or administra- 
tive district : in consular and diplomatic docu- 
ments commonly styled district magistrate. He 
is responsible for the peace and order of his district, and 
has summary jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. All 
transfers of land must be stamped with his seal. Also 
written chih-hsien. 
chikandozl (chik-an-do'zi), . [Hind, chikan- 
dosi, embroidery, < chikandoz, an embroider- 
er, < Pers. chakinduz, an embroiderer, < chakin 
(>Hiud. chikan, embroidery: see chicken^) + 
dukhtan, sew.] In India, hand-embroidery in 
muslin. Whitworth. 
chikara 1 (chi-ka'rS), n. [E. Ind.] The native 
name of a small four-horned goat-like ante- 
lopo of Bengal, Antilope chikara of Hardwicke, 
or Tetraceros qnadricornis. Also called chou- 
sinaha. 
chikara'- 3 , chickera (chik'a-ra, -e-ra), n. [Hind. 
cliikard.] A Hindu musical instrument of the 
violin class, having four or five horsehair 
strings. 
chikary, n. See shikaree. 
chiket, n. A Middle English form of chick*-. 
chikie, . A name given in Alaska to the glau- 
cous gull, Larus glaucus. H. W. Elliott. 
chiksa (chik'sa), n. [Hind, chiksd.] The East 
Indian name of a fragrant powder composed of 
sandal-wood, benzoin, and other ingredients ; a 
kind of sachet-powder. 
chilt, n. Same as child, 8. 
chilam (che'lam), n. [Hind, chilam.] Same as 
chillum. 
chilbladder (chirblad^r), n. A chilblain. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
chilblain (chil'blan), n. [< chilli + Main.] A 
blain or sore produced by cold; an erythema- 
tous condition of the hands or feet, accompa- 
nied with inflammation, pain, and sometimes 
ulceration; erythema; pernio. 
My feet are full of chilblains with travelling. 
Beau, and Fl., Knight of Burning Pestle, ill. 2. 
Chilblain (chil'blan), v. t. [< chilblain, n.] To 
afflict with chilblains ; produce chilblains in : 
as, my feet were chilblained. 
child (child), H. ; pi. children (chil'dren), former- 
ly (and still dialectally) childer (-de'r). [= Sc. 
chield, chiel, q. v. ; < ME. child, childe (the latter 
form being prop, dat.), pi. childre, childere, chil- 
der, also extended with second pi. suffix -en, chil- 
dren, childeren, and even with a third pi. suffix 
-e, childrene, childerne, < AS. did, pi. did, also 
cildru and cildra, a child ; prob. a modification 
of *dnd = OS. OFries. MD. D. kind = MLG. 
kint, kind, LG. kind = OHG. MHG. chind, G. 
kind, a child, akin to Icel. kundr, son, and Goth. 
-kunds = AS. -cund, an adj. suffix meaning lit. 
' born (of) ' ; all orig. from pp. of / *kun, "lean, 
seen in E. ken?, fa'l, kind, king, etc. : see ken 2 , 
kin 1 , kind, can 1 , genus, genesis, etc. The modi- 
fication of Teut. kind to AS. did may have been 
due to the influence of Goth, kilthei, the womb ; 
cf. inkiltho, with child.] 1. A male or female 
descendant in the first degree ; the immediate 
progeny of human parents ; a son or daughter : 
used in direct reference to the parentage of the 
person spoken of, without regard to sex. 
And Jenhthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, be- 
hold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and 
with dances ; and she was his only child. Judges id. 34. 
childbed 
Charles II. of Spain was sinking rapidly to the grave, 
leaving no child to inherit his vast dominions, and there 
were three rival claimants for the succession. 
Leckij, Eng. in 18th Cent., i. 
2. A descendant more remote than the first 
degree ; a descendant, however remote : as, the 
i-hildren of Israel. 3. ;)(. The inhabitants of 
a country: as, "the children of Seir," 2 Chron. 
xxv. 11. 4. Specifically, u very young person; 
one not old enough to dispense with maternal 
aid and care. See childhood. 
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as 
a child, 1 thought as a child: but when I became a man. 
I put away childish tiling. 1 Cor. xiii. li. 
5. Figuratively, a childish man or woman ; one 
who resembles a child in lack of knowledge, 
experience, or judgment. 6. In general, any- 
thing regarded as the offspring or product of 
something which is specified ; product ; result : 
as, disease is the child of intemperance; chil- 
dren of darkness. 
Be a child o' the time. Shale., A. and C., ii. 7. 
I talk of dreams, 
Which are the children of an idle brain. 
Shak., R. and J., i. 4. 
Our annals are full of splendid instances of the success 
attending such personal effort to further the progress of 
the struggling child of poverty and even of shame. 
The Century, XXX. 277. 
7. A girl. [Prov. Eng.] 
A barne, a very pretty bame ! A boy or a child, I wonder ? 
Shak., W. T., UL 3. 
8. [Now spelled archaically childe, as some- 
times in ME. This particular use of child oc- 
curs in late ME. ballads ; the best-known mod- 
ern instance of it is in Byron's "Childe Harold." 
Cf. a similar use of 8p. Pg. infante.] In old 
and poetical usage, a noble youth; a youth, 
especially one of high birth, before he was ad- 
vanced to the honor of knighthood; a squire: 
also applied to a knight. 
The noble childe, preventing his desire, 
Under his club with wary boldnesse went 
Spenser, K. Q., VI. viU. 16. 
Childe Rowland to the dark tower came. 
Shak., Lear, 111. 4. 
9. A person in general. 
And he was moche and sernly, and ther-to the beste 
shapen chielde to have sought thourgh eny reame. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 264. 
A mery child he [the parish clerk] was, so God me save. 
Chaucer, Miller's Tale, 1. 139. 
A chiel's amang ye t.-ikin notes. 
Burns, Captain Grose's Peregrinations. 
Child-bishop. See boy-bishop, under boy\. Cnildren 
Of Light, a name assumed by the early Quakers, from 
John xii. 36, etc. Rev. Orby Shivleit. Child's play, a 
trivial matter of any kind ; anything easily accomplished 
or surmounted. 
No child's play was it nor is It I 
Carlyle, French Rev., II. vL 7. 
Natural Child, (a) One who is actually the child of the 
supposed parent, whether born in wedlock or not: dis- 
tinguished from the spurious offspring of adultery, which, 
though it may be reputed to be, is not the child of the 
other spouse, (ii) More especially, an illegitimate child ; 
one who is actually the child but not the lawful issue of 
the suggested parent. Parish Child, a child brought up 
at the expense of a parish ; a pauper child. To get with 
Child, to render pregnant. To go With child, to be 
pregnant. With child, in a state of pregnancy. = Syn. 
til. Offspring, issue, progeny. 
childt (child), v. [< ME. childen (tr. and intr.), 
(. AS. "cildian (inferred from cildnng, its verbal 
noun, E. childing), < did, child. Cf. OHG. chin- 
don, MHG. kinden, G. kinden, kindeln (= D. kin- 
deren), bear a child (< kind, a child), remotely 
allied to E. kindle^, < kind, nature.] I. intrans. 
To produce children ; bring forth offspring. 
They were two harlots and dwelled together in one 
house, and it chanced within two dales they childfd both. 
Latimer, 2d Sermon bef. Edw. VI. 
II. trans. To bring forth as a child. 
That yere childed she the secunde sonne truly. 
Rom. of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1193. 
A little mayde, the which ye chylded. 
Spenser, F. Q., VI. xii. 17. 
childaget (chil'daj), n. [< child + -age (or less 
prob. agel). Cf. nonage.] Childhood; infancy. 
For in your very ehyldage there appeared in you a cer- 
taine strange and marvellous towardness. 
J. UdaU, On John, Pref. 
Child-bearing (chlld'bar'ing), n. [< ME. child- 
bering; < child + bearing, verbal n. of bear. 1 .] 
The act of producing or bringing forth children ; 
parturition. 
The timorous and irresolute Sylvia has demurred till 
she is past childoearinr/. Addition. 
child-bearing (child'bar"mg), a. [< child + 
ben ring, ppr. of bear 1 .] Bearing or producing 
children. 
Childbed (child'bed), n. [< ME. childbed; < child 
+ bedi. Cf. OHG. chintpetti, G. kindbett.] Lit- 
erally, the bed in which a woman gives birth to 
a child; hence, the act of bringing forth a child 
