Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHAR'I-OT, v.t.

To convey in a chariot. – Milton.

CHAR'I-OT-ED, pp.

Borne in a chariot. – Cooper.

CHAR-I-OT-EER', n.

The person who drives or conducts a chariot. It is used in speaking of military chariots and those in the ancient games, but not of modern drivers. – Johnson. Addison.

CHAR-I-OT-EER'ING, ppr.

1. Driving a chariot.
2. adj. Using a chariot.

CHAR'I-OT-MAN, n.

The driver of a chariot. – 2 Chron. xviii.

CHAR'I-OT-RACE, n.

A race with chariots; a sport in which chariots were driven in contest for a prize. – Addison.

CHAR'I-TA-BLE, a. [Fr. See Charity.]

1. Benevolent and kind; as, a charitable disposition.
2. Liberal in benefactions to the poor, and in relieving them in distress; as, a charitable man.
3. Pertaining to charity; springing from charity, or intended for charity; benevolent; as, a charitable institution, or society; a charitable purpose.
4. Formed on charitable principles; favorable; dictated by kindness; a charitable construction of words or actions.

CHAR'I-TA-BLE-NESS, n.

1. The disposition to be charitable; or the exercise of charity.
2. Liberality to the poor.

CHAR'I-TA-BLY, adv.

Kindly; liberally; benevolently; with a disposition to help the poor; favorably.

CHAR'I-TY, n. [Fr. charité; L. charitas, or caritas; W. cariad; Sp. caridad; Port. caridade; It. carità, caritade. Qu. Gr. χαρις. The Latin caritas is from carus, dear, costly, whence beloved, and the word was sometimes written charitas, as if from the Gr. χαρις. The Latin carus would seem to be from the verb careo, to want, as dearness arises from scarcity. Of this we have an example in the English dear, whence dearth, which shows the primary sense of dear to be scarce. But qu. the Oriental יקר. Class Gr, No. 56.]

1. In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. – 1 Cor. xiii. Col. iii. 1 Tim. i.
2. In a more particular sense, love, kindness, affection, tenderness, springing from natural relations; as, the charities of father, son and brother. – Milton.
3. Liberality to the poor, consisting in alms-giving or benefactions, or in gratuitous services to relieve them in distress.
4. Alms; whatever is bestowed gratuitously on the poor for their relief.
5. Liberality in gifts and services to promote public objects of utility, as to found and support bible societies, missionary societies, and others.
6. Candor; liberality in judging of men and their actions; a disposition which inclines men to think and judge favorably, and to put the best construction on words and actions which the case will admit. The highest exercise of charity, is charity toward the uncharitable. – Buckminster.
7. Any act of kindness, or benevolence; as, the charities of life.
8. A charitable institution. – D. Webster. Charity-school, is a school maintained by voluntary contributions for educating poor children.

CHARK, v.t. [Qu. char, or Ch. חרן, Ar. حَرَقَ haraka, to burn.]

To burn to a coal; to char. [Not used. See Char.]

CHARL'A-TAN, n. [Fr. from It. ciarlatano, a quack, from ciarlare, to prate; Sp. charlatan, from charlar, to prate; Port. charlar, id.; L. garrulo, garrio; Gr. γηρυω.]

One who prates much in his own favor, and makes unwarrantable pretensions to skill; a quack; an empire; a mountebank. – Brown. Butler.

CHARL-A-TAN'IC-AL, a.

Quackish; making undue pretensions to skill: ignorant. – Cowley.

CHARL'A-TAN-RY, n.

Undue pretensions to skill; quackery; wheedling; deception by fair words. – Johnson.

CHARLES'S'-WAIN, n. [Charles, Celtic karl, a man, or brave man. See Wain.]

In astronomy, seven stars in the constellation called Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. – Encyc.

CHAR'LOCK, n. [Sax. cerlice. Leac, in Saxon, is a leek, but the same word occurs in hemlock, and it probably signifies a plant or root.]

The English name of the Raphanus Raphanistrum and Sinapis arvensis, very pernicious weeds among grain. One kind has yellow flowers; another, white, with jointed pods. – Lee. Encyc.

CHARM, n. [Fr. charme; Norm. carme, or garme; Arm. chalm; L. carmen, a song, a verse, an outcry, a charm. It coincides with the W. garm, an outcry, garmiaw, to shout, Sax. cirm, or cyrm, outcry, noise. See Alarm.]

1. Words, characters or other things imagined to possess some occult or unintelligible power; hence, a magic power or spell, by which, with the supposed assistance of the devil, witches and sorcerers have been supposed to do wonderful things. Spell; enchantment. Hence,
2. That which has power to subdue opposition, and gain the affections; that which can please irresistibly; that which delights and attracts the heart; generally in the plural. The smiles of nature and the charms of art. – Addison. Good humor only teaches charms to last. – Pope.

CHARM, v.i.

To sound harmonically. – Milton.

CHARM, v.t.

1. To subdue or control by incantation or secret influence. I will send serpents among you … which will not be charmed. – Jer. viii.
2. To subdue by secret power, especially by that which pleases and delights the mind; to allay or appease. Music the fiercest grief can charm. – Pope.
3. To give exquisite pleasure to the mind or senses; to delight; as, we were charmed with the conversation. The aerial songster charms us with her melodious notes. – Anon.
4. To fortify with charms against evil. I have a charmed life, which must not yield. – Shak. [Not in use.]
5. To make powerful by charms. – Johnson.
6. To summon by incantation.– Shak. Johnson.
7. To temper agreeably. – Spenser.

CHARM'A, n.

A fish resembling the sea-wolf.

CHARM'ED, pp.

Subdued by charms; delighted; enchanted.

CHARM'ER, n.

1. One that charms, or has power to charm; one that uses, or has the power of enchantment. – Deut. xviii. 11.
2. One who delights and attracts the affections.

CHARM'ER-ESS, n.

An enchantress. – Chaucer.

CHARM'FUL, a.

Abounding with charms. – Cowley.

CHARM'ING, ppr.

1. Using charms; enchanting.
2. adj. Pleasing in the highest degree; delighting. Music is but an elegant and charming species of elocution. – E. Porter.