Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHANCE'-COM-ER, n.

One who comes unexpectedly. – Addison.

CHANC'ED, pp.

of Chance.

CHANCE'FUL, a.

Hazardous. – Spenser.

CHAN'CEL, n. [Fr. chancel or chanceau; L. cancelli, lattices or cross bars, inclosing the place; Sp. cancel, cancilla, a wooden screen, a wicker gate; It. cancello, balustrades; Gr. κιγκλις; Ch. קנקל kankel or kankail, net-work; Syr. id. See Cancel.]

That part of the choir of a church, between the altar or communion table, and the balustrade or railing that incloses it, or that part where the altar is placed; formerly inclosed with lattices or cross bars, as now with rails. – Encyc. Johnson.

CHAN'CEL-LOR, n. [Fr. chancelier; Arm. chanceilher, or canceller; Sp. canciller; Port. chanceller; It. cancelliere; D. kanselier; G. kanzler; Sw. cantsler; Dan. kantsler or cantsler; L. cancellarius, a scribe, secretary, notary, or chancellor; from cancello, to make lattice work, to cancel, or blot out by crossing the lines; or from cancelli, lattices, because the secretary sat behind lattices.]

Originally, a chief notary or scribe, under the Roman Emperors; but in England, in later times, an officer invested with judicial powers, and particularly with the superintendence of all charters, letters and other official writings of the crown, that required to be solemnly authenticated. Hence this officer became the keeper of the great seal. From the Roman Empire, this office passed to the church, and hence every bishop has his chancellor. The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Keeper of the Great Seal, is the highest officer of the crown. He is a privy counselor by his office, and prolocutor of the house of lords by prescription. To him belongs the appointment of all justices of the peace; he is keeper of the king's conscience, visitor of all hospitals and colleges founded by the king, guardian of all charitable uses, and judge of the high court of chancery. Chancellor of an Ecclesiastical Court, is the bishop's lawyer, versed in the civil and canon law, to direct the bishop in causes of the church, civil and criminal. Chancellor of a Cathedral, is an officer who hears lessons and lectures in the church, by himself or his vicar, inspects schools, hears causes, applies the seal, writes and dispatches letters of the chapter, keeps the books, &c. Chancellor of the Exchequer, is an officer who presides in that court, and takes care of the interest of the crown. He has power, with the lord treasurer, to lease the crown lands, and with others, to compound for forfeitures on penal statutes. He has a great authority in managing the royal revenues, and in matters relating to the first fruits. Chancellor of a University, is an officer who seals the diplomas, or letters of degree, &c. The chancellor of Oxford is usually one of the prime nobility, elected by the students in convocation, and he holds the office for life. He is the chief magistrate in the government of the university. The chancellor of Cambridge is also elected from among the prime nobility; he does not hold his office for life, but may be elected every three years. Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, and other military orders, is an officer who seals the commissions and mandates of the chapter and assembly of the knights, keeps the register of their proceedings, and delivers their acts under the seal of their order. – Johnson. Encyc. In France, a secretary is, in some cases, called a chancellor. In the United States, a chancellor is the judge of a court of chancery or equity, established by statute. In Scripture, a master of the decrees, or president of the council. Ezra iv.

CHAN'CEL-LOR-SHIP, n.

The office of a chancellor; the time during which one is chancellor.

CHANCE'-MED-LEY, n. [chance and medley, a mixture; but more properly, chaudemell, Norm. Fr. a hot debate, strife, or quarrel; chaud, hot, from L. calidus, and meller, for mesler, to mix.]

In law, the killing of a person by chance, when the killer is doing a lawful act; for if he is doing an unlawful act, it is felony. As if a man, when throwing bricks from a house into a street where people are continually passing, after giving warning to passengers to take care, should kill a person, this is chance-medley. But if he gives no warning, and kills a man, it is manslaughter.

CHAN'CE-RY, n. [Fr. chancellerie; Arm. cancellery; Sp. chancilleria; It. cancelleria; L. cancellaria, from cancelli, lattices, or from the judge, who presided in the court.]

1. In Great Britain, the highest court of justice, next to the parliament, consisting of two distinct tribunals; one ordinary, being a court of common law; the other extraordinary, or a court of equity. The ordinary legal court holds pleas of recognizances acknowledged in the chancery, writs of scire facias, for repeal of letters patent, writs of partition, and all personal actions by or against any officer of the court. But if the parties come to issue, in fact, this court cannot try it by a jury; but the record must be delivered to the king's bench. From this court issue all original writs that pass under the great seal, commissions of charitable uses, bankruptcy, idiocy, lunacy, &c. The extraordinary court, or court of equity, proceeds upon rules of equity and conscience, moderates the rigor of the common law and gives relief in cases where there is no remedy in the common law courts.
2. In the United States, a court of equity.

CHANC'ING, ppr.

Happening.

CHAN'CRE, n. [Fr. chancre; Arm. chancr. The same as cancer, canker.]

A venereal ulcer.

CHAN'CROUS, a.

Ulcerous; having the qualities of a chancre.

CHAN-DE-LIER', n. [Fr. id.; Sp. candelero; It. candeliere; Arm. cantolozr, or cantuler; from L. candela, a candle, from caneo, to shine.]

1. A frame with branches to hold a number of candles, to illuminate a public or large room.
2. In fortification, a movable parapet, serving to support fascines to cover pioneers.

CHAND'LER, n. [Qu. Fr. chandelier, or rather Teutonic handler. See Corn-chandler.]

An artisan whose trade is to make candles, or one who sells candles. – Johnson. In America, I believe the word never signifies a seller of candles, unless he is the maker. A corn-chandler is a seller of corn, but I believe not used in the United States.

CHAND'LER-LY, adv.

Like a chandler. – Milton.

CHAND'LER-Y, n.

The commodities sold by a chandler.

CHAND'RY, n.

The place where candles are kept. – B. Jonson.

CHAN-FRIN, n.

The fore part of a horse's head.

CHANGE, n.

1. Any variation or alteration in form, state, quality, or essence; or a passing from one state or form to another; as, a change of countenance; a change of habits or principles.
2. A succession of one thing in the place of another; vicissitude; as, a change of seasons; a change of objects on a journey; a change of scenes.
3. A revolution; as, a change of government.
4. A passing by the sun, and the beginning of a new monthly revolution; as, a change of the moon.
5. A different state by removal; novelty; variety. Our fathers did, for change, to France repair. – Dryden.
6. Alteration in the order of ringing bells; variety of sounds. Four bells admit twenty-four changes in ringing. – Holder.
7. That which makes a variety, or may be substituted for another. Thirty changes of raiment. – Judges xiv.
8. Small coins of money, which may be given for larger pieces.
9. The balance of money paid beyond the price of goods purchased; as, I gave the clerk a bank note for his cloth, and he gave me the change.
10. The dissolution of the body; death. All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. – Job xiv.
11. Change for exchange, a place where merchants and others meet to transact business; a building appropriated for merchantile transactions.
12. In arithmetic, permutation; variation of numbers. Thirteen numbers admit of 6,227,020,800 changes, or different positions.

CHANGE, v.i.

1. To be altered; to undergo variation; as, men sometimes change for the better, often for the worse. I am Jehovah, I change not. – Mal. iii.
2. To pass the sun, as the moon in its orbit; as, the moon will change the 14th of this month.

CHANGE, v.t. [Fr. changer; It. cangiare; Arm. eceinch; Norm. chainant; exchanging. Qu. Is this radically the same word as It. cambio, cambiare, Sp. id.?]

1. To cause to turn or pass from one state to another; to alter, or make different; to vary in external form, or in essence; as, to change the color or shape of a thing; to change the countenance; to change the heart or life.
2. To put one thing in the place of another; to shift; as, to change the clothes. Be clean and change your garments. Gen. xxxv.
3. To quit one thing or state for another; followed by for; as, persons educated in a particular religion do not readily change it for another.
4. To give and take reciprocally; as, will you change conditions with me?
5. To barter; to exchange goods; as, to change a coach for a chariot.
6. To quit, as one place for another; as, to change lodgings.
7. To give one kind of money for another; to alter the form or kind of money, by receiving the value in a different kind, as to change bank notes for silver; or to give pieces of a larger denomination for an equivalent in pieces of smaller denomination; as, to change an eagle for dollars, or a sovereign for sixpences, or to change a dollar into cents; or on the other hand, to change dollars for or into eagles, giving money of smaller denomination for larger.
8. To become acid or tainted; to turn from a natural state of sweetness and purity; as, the wine is changed; thunder and lightning are said to change milk. To change a horse or to change hand, is to turn or bear the horse's head from one hand to the other, from the left to the right, or from the right to the left. – Farrier's Dict.

CHANGE-A-BIL'I-TY, n.

Changeableness, which is generally used. – Fleming.

CHANGE'A-BLE, a.

1. That may change; subject to alteration; fickle; inconstant; mutable; variable; as, a person of a changeable mind.
2. Having the quality of suffering alteration of external appearance; as, changeable silk.

CHANGE'A-BLE-NESS, n.

1. The quality of being changeable; fickleness; inconstancy; instability; mutability.
2. Susceptibility of change, or alteration. – Hooker.

CHANGE'A-BLY, adv.

Inconstantly.

CHANG'ED, pp.

Altered; varied; turned; converted; shifted.