Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHI-MERE', n. [It. ciamare.]

A robe. – Wheatly.

CHI-MER'IC-AL, a.

Merely imaginary; fanciful; fantastic; wildly or vainly conceived; that has, or can have no existence except in thought.

CHI-MER'IC-AL-LY, adv.

Wildly; vainly; fancifully; fantastically.

CHIM'IC-AL, a. [See Chimistry.]

1. Pertaining to chimistry; as, a chimical operation.
2. Resulting from the operation of the principles of bodies by decomposition, combination, etc.; as, chimical changes.
3. According to the principles of chimistry; as, a chimical combination.

CHIM'IC-AL-LY, adv.

According to chimical principles; by chimical process or operation.

CHIM'IN-AGE, n. [Fr. chemin; Sp. camino, a way.]

In law, a toll for passage through a forest. – Cowel. Bailey.

CHIM'ING, ppr. [from chime.]

Causing to chime; sounding in accordance.

CHIM'IST, n.

A person versed in chimistry; a professor of chimistry.

CHIM'IST-RY, n. [Fr. chimie; Sp. chimia; It. and Port. chimica. The orthography of this word has undergone changes through a mere ignorance of its origin, than which nothing can be more obvious. It is the Arabic كَمَي kamia, the occult art or science, from كَمَي kamai, to conceal. This was originally the art or science now called Alchimy; the art of converting baser metals into gold. The order of Diocletian, directing search to be made for books treating of the wonderful art of making gold and silver, and all that should be found to be committed to the flames, proves the origin of this art to be as remote as the close of the third century, and it was probably somewhat earlier. Gibbon, ch. 13. It is not improbable that this art was used in counterfeiting coins. The common orthography is from χεω, to melt or fuse; the old orthography was from χυω, the same word, differently written; both having no foundation, but a random guess. If lexicographers and writers had been contented to take the orthography of the nations in the South of Europe, where the origin of the word was doubtless understood, and through whom the word was introduced into England, the orthography would have been settled, uniform, and corresponding exactly with the pronunciation.]

Chimistry is a science, the object of which is to discover the nature and properties of all bodies by analysis and synthesis. – Macquer. Chimistry is that science which explains the intimate mutual action of all natural bodies. – Fourcroy. Analysis or decomposition, and synthesis or combination, are the two methods which chimistry uses to accomplish its purposes. – Fourcroy. Hooper. Chimistry may be defined, the science which investigates the composition of material substances, and the permanent changes of constitution which their mutual actions produce. – Ure. Chimistry may be defined, that science, the object of which is to discover and explain the changes of composition that occur among the integrant and constituent parts of different bodies. Henry. Chimistry is the science which treats of those events and changes in natural bodies, which are not accompanied by sensible motions. – Thomson. Chimistry is justly considered as a science, but the practical operations may be denominated an art. Chimistry relates to those operations by which the intimate nature of bodies is changed, or by which they acquire new properties. – Davy.

CHIM'NEY, n. [plur. Chimneys. Fr. cheminée; Arm. ciminal, or cheminal; G. kamin; Corn. chimbla; Ir. simileur; Sp. chimenea; It. cammino; L. caminus; Ch. קםין; Ar. قَمِينٌ kaminon; Gr. καμινος; Russ. kamin. It seems originally to have been a furnace, a stove, or a hearth.]

1. In architecture, a body of brick or stone, erected in building, containing a funnel or funnels, to convey smoke, and other volatile matter through the roof, from the hearth or fire-place, where fuel is burnt. This body of materials is sometimes called a stack of chimneys, especially when it contains two or more funnels, or passages.
2. A fire-place; the lower part of the body of brick or stone which confines and conveys smoke.

CHIM'NEY-BOARD, n.

A fire-board – which see.

CHIM'NEY-COR'NER, n.

1. The corner of a fire-place, or the space between the fire and the sides of the fire-place. In the Northern States of America, fire-places were formerly made six or eight feet wide, or even more, and a stool was placed by the side of the fire, as a seat for children, and this often furnished a comfortable situation for idlers. As fuel has become scarce, our fire-places are contracted, till, in many or most of our dwellings, we have no chimney-corners.
2. In a more enlarged sense, the fire-side, or a place near the fire.

CHIM'NEY-HOOK, n.

A hook for holding pots and kettles over a fire.

CHIM'NEY-MON-EY, n.

Hearth-money, a duty paid for each chimney in a house. – Eng.

CHIM'NEY-PIECE, n.

An ornamental piece of wood or stone set round a fire-place.

CHIM'NEY-SWEEP-ER, n.

One whose occupation is to sweep and scrape chimneys, to clean them of the soot that adheres to their sides.

CHIM-PAN'ZEE, n.

An animal of the ape kind, a variety of the orang-outang. – Dict. Nat. Hist. It is now considered a distinct species. – Cuvier.

CHIN, n. [Sax. cinne; Pers. جَانْ jain; D. kin; G. kinn; Dan. kind, the cheek; Sw. kind; L. gena; Gr. γενυς. The sense is probably an edge or side, and allied to chine.]

The lower extremity of the face below the mouth; the point of the under jaw.

CHI'NA, n.

A species of earthen ware made in China, and so called from the country; called also China ware and Porcelain. [See Porcelain.]

CHI'NA-OR-ANGE, n.

The sweet orange, said to have been originally brought from China.

CHI'NAR, n.

A tree of India.

CHI'NA-ROOT, n.

The root of a species of Smilax, brought from the East Indies, of a pale reddish color, with no smell, and very little taste.

CHINCH, n. [Qu. It. cimice, L. cimex, corrupted.]

The popular name of certain insects resembling the feather-wing moths. These insects live in the flowers of plants, and wander from flower to flower, but prefer those which are sweetest. – Dict. Nat. Hist.

CHIN'-COUGH, n. [D. kind, a child, and kuch, a cough.]

A disease, often epidemic among children. It continues for some weeks, and is attended with violent paroxysms of coughing. From a particular noise made in coughing, it is also called hooping-cough.

CHINE, n. [Fr. echine; It. schiena; Arm. chein. It may be allied to chin. In German, schiene is the shin, also a clout, a splint; and rad-schiene is the band of a wheel; Russ. schina.]

1. The back-bone, or spine of an animal.
2. A piece of the back-bone of an animal, with the adjoining parts, cut for cooking.
3. The chime of a cask, or the ridge formed by the ends of the staves. – Stat. of Pennsylvania.