| 释义 |
chambern. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French chambre. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman chamber, chambere, chaumbre, chanber, chanbur, chaunbre, chombre, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French (northern) cambre, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French, French chambre room, especially bedroom (end of the 11th cent.), domain immediately subject to a monarch (c1100), judicial, legislative, or deliberative assembly (end of the 13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman, e.g. in pension de chambre , rente de chambre , both in sense ‘pension paid out by the Chamber of the Exchequer’), treasury (end of the 13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), large room where official business is conducted (early 14th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman, originally with reference to the private office of a judge), hangings of a room (second half of the 14th cent. or earlier; in Anglo-Norman chiefly in plural chambres ), detachable cylinder used to hold the charge of a gun (1414), underground cavity containing ore (second half of the 15th cent.), cavity in a mine in which the charge is placed (1615 in the passage translated in quot. 1638 at sense 9d, or earlier), enclosed space or compartment in a mechanism, apparatus, etc. (1690; 1694 in specific sense ‘space between the gates of a canal lock’) < classical Latin camera, variant of camara arched or vaulted roof or ceiling, small flat boat roofed over with timber, in post-classical Latin also room, chamber, especially private chamber or bedroom (7th cent.; from 8th cent. (frequently from 11th cent.) in British sources), royal treasury or privy purse (9th cent.; from 11th cent. in British sources), whole of the estates the revenue of which flows into the treasury (9th cent.), treasury of a lord or prince (12th cent.), monastic or episcopal treasury (from 12th cent. in British sources), papal treasury, council chamber, court of council chamber, city court (London), privy, hangings or furniture of a chamber (from 13th cent. in British sources), civic or local treasury (14th cent. in British sources), chamber of a gun (from 1435 in British sources) < ancient Greek καμάρα anything with an arched cover, covered carriage, in Hellenistic Greek also covered boat, vaulted chamber, vault of a tomb, vault of heaven, vaulted ceiling, hollow near the auditory meatus, of uncertain origin.Compare Old Occitan cambra , Catalan cambra (14th cent.), Spanish camara (end of the 12th cent.), Portuguese câmara (1278), Italian camera (late 13th cent.; end of the 12th cent. as †cammora ). The Latin word was also borrowed into other Germanic languages at an early date; compare Old Frisian kamer (West Frisian keamer ), Old Dutch kamer (only in the compound betekamer bedchamber n.; Middle Dutch camer , kamer , Dutch kamer ), Old Saxon kamara (Middle Low German kāmer , kāmere , kammer ), Middle High German kamere , kamer (Old High German camara , camera , chamara , kamera , German Kammer ), Old Swedish kamar , kamare (Swedish kammare ), Old Danish kamaræ , kamer , kammer (Danish kammer ), which all show a similar semantic range, also Old Icelandic kamari and (in sense ‘privy’) kamarr . In sense 7 apparently short for chamber pot n. Anatomical use in sense 8 is not paralleled in French until later (first half of the 17th cent.; apparently earliest in chambre de l'œil , denoting such an enclosed space in the eye). With sense 9b compare German Büchse , originally the box or chamber of a gun, now the gun itself (see box n.2), and see arquebus n. The γ. forms show loss of medial b , which is frequent in English dialects in the position between m and r (see J. Wright Eng. Dial. Grammar (1905) §276, and compare the β. forms at number n.). The Older Scots δ. forms developed as reverse spellings < γ. forms with medial au , aw , after the 15th-cent. vocalization of pre-consonantal l to u (compare Scots saut , sawt salt n.1, hauk , halk , haulk hawk n.1); the origin of the regional (Oxfordshire) δ. forms (which all come from the same source) is unclear. The ε. forms apparently result from the influence of the standard spelling on the δ. forms. I. A room and related senses. 1. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > [noun] society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > types of room generally > [noun] > private or inner room ?c1225 (?a1200) (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 73 Heo is godes cheambre [L. thalamus]. a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris (1868) 1st Ser. 285 (MED) Þu..makedes of me..þi leofmon and spuse. Broht tu haues me fra þe world to bur of þi burðe, steked me i chaumbre. c1300 (c1250) (Cambr.) (1966) l. 445 To anoþer chaumbre hi beoþ agon, To Blauncheflures chaumbre non. a1375 (c1350) (1867) l. 3029 Whan þe masse was don, sche went to hire chaumber. 1472 J. Paston in (2004) I. 453 My lady..hathe takyn hyre chambre. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour (St. John's Cambr.) v. 287 In a chalmer preualy, He held him and his cumpany. a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil (1959) viii. viii. 29 Amyd the chalmer doun thame set. 1535 Prov. xxiv. A Chambers..fylled wt all costly & pleasaunt riches. c1540 (?a1400) 4977 Led were þo lordes þro mony long chaumburs..into a proude chaumbur þere Priam was set. c1600 (1825) 33 Be committing of murther in her awin chalmer. 1611 Gen. xliii. 30 Hee entred into his chamber, & wept there. View more context for this quotation 1614 T. Adams i. 31 Malice vsurpes the best Chamber in your mindes. 1711 J. Swift (1767) III. 191 He and his lady saw me to my chamber just in the country fashion. 1716 A. Pope tr. Homer II. vii. 498 From forth the Chambers of the Main..Arose the golden Chariot of the Day. 1741 in H. H. Metcalf & O. G. Hammond (1915) III. 30 I give to my Beloved Wife..ye furniture of ye Chamber over our Setting room. 1821 R. Southey in 25 346 He..hardly ever slept two nights successively in one chamber. 1873 T. B. Aldrich 59 Mrs. Margaret O'Rouke..entered the Bilkins mansion, reached her chamber in the attic without being intercepted, and there laid aside her finery. 1911 W. Boyle i. 23 In the secret chamber of my heart, I will say unto myself, ‘Jeremiah Dempsy, will it benefit the town of Cloghermore if you are made a magistrate?’ 1950 A. Coppel in Fall 8/2 It was in the next chamber that the out-world warrior paused. 1997 P. C. Doherty (1998) xiv. 201 As he divested, saying the words laid down by the rite, the chattering and whispering from the chamber ended. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > covers or hangings > [noun] > hangings society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > [noun] > set of furniture 1429 in H. M. Flasdieck (1926) 75 (MED) Þe said Richart shall gyffen to þe fore said William and to Jahn, his doughtre, hir chambre, as a gentlewoman aught for to haue. 1444–6 in (2004) I. 40 The seid Anneys shall bere þe costages þerof þe day of þe weddyng, with swech chaumbyr as shall be to þe plesir of þe seid Anneys. 1612 W. Travers 23 To vnfold this tapestrie, & to hang vp the whole chamber of it. 1845 H. J. Stephen II. 212 Her apparel and bedroom furniture, (called the widow's chamber) was first set aside for her own use. 1859 J. H. Parker III. iii. 62 The purchase of a ‘chamber’, a ‘halling’, that is, the necessary hangings for those apartments. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > types of room by situation > [noun] > upper room or loft society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > room by type of use > [noun] > best room 1644 in (1914) L. 320 Corn upon the ground, 3li; corn upon the chamb [er] , 18s. 1667 in (1887) I. 120 Mary & I had brought the corne into the chamber. 1820 A. Balfour 260 Twa winnocks in the chaumer placed, Shewed Wattie had baith wealth an' taste. 1824 J. Mactaggart 132 This chaumer, or chammer, was a kind of detached room of the farm-houses of yore: here slept all the young men belonging to the family. 1858 M. Porteous (ed. 2) 15 Samuel Brown..resided on the farm of Ballochneil, in that apartment generally called the ‘chamber’ of a farm house. The little building is yet to be seen. 1863 J. C. Atkinson Chamber, an upper room,..(2) in a stable or other building; a loft. 1911 J. Omond 8/3 In front of the dwelling house and separated from it by a narrow close,..the chaumer or extra sleeping chamber, and one or two sheds. 1979 Jan. 38 The beans were stored in kegs in the unfinished chamber over the ell. 1992 D. Toulmin 48 The lad had settled doon fine wi the other lads in the chaumer. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) vi. l. 1811 (MED) Thre yomen of his chambre. c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 582 Of his chambre he made hym a Squier. a1500 Rule for serving Lord in R. W. Chambers (1914) 12 (MED) Þe yemen and gromys or grome of þe chambre..shall set vp bordes and make redy þe stoles afore mete. 1526 Eltham Ordinances in (1790) 165 The ordinary of the King's chamber which have bouche of Court & also their dietts within the Court. 1672 T. Manley sig. Rrv Knights of the Chamber..seem to be such Knights Batchelors as are made in time of Peace, because knighted commonly in the Kings Chamber. 1760 437/2 If it be true which was said by a French prince, that no man was a hero to the servants of his chamber. 1780 C. Cowley xiv. 686/2 The places of treasurer of the chamber, keeper of the wardrobes, [etc.], were equally unnecessary, and were supported merely for the purpose of influence. 1848 L. Hunt II. x. 228 Of yeomen of his chamber he had forty-six daily to attend upon his person. 1864 T. Carlyle IV. xvi. ii. 252 Gentlemanship of the Chamber. 1905 10 June 13 The duke of Santo Manro..(Gentleman of the Chamber). 1968 43 291 Chaucer was promoted to the king's chamber from being page to Countess Elisabeth of Ulster. 2000 53 1057 Henry VIII..staffed his Privy Chamber with young and high-born favorites. This transformed the intimacy of the king's Chamber. society > trade and finance > management of money > [noun] > department managing public money > building 1411 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt (1931) 93 (MED) That no manere man..be so hardy to wrestell..within..the boundes of Poules..vp peyne of..makyng fyn vn-to the chaumbre after the discrecioun of the Mair & Aldermen. 1447 (Electronic ed.) Parl. Feb. 1447 §24. m. 1 The same assignacions..be delivered unto..the said tresorier of household, tresorier of the saide chambre, and to the warderober. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus ii. f. 277v The same Caesar vnto Metellus wt standyng that he might not take any money out of the treasourie or chaumbre of ye citee. 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy iv. 173 The Consull commanded the treasurers for to bring the mony into the common chamber of the cittie [L. in aerarium]. a1640 P. Massinger (1658) iv. ii. 127 My private house in cram'd abundance Shall prove the chamber of the City poor. 1655 T. Fuller x. 67 We mention not the large Summes bequeathed by him [sc. Thomas Sutton] to Poor, to Prisons, to Colleges, to mending Highwaies, to the Chamber of London. 1728 E. Chambers at Chamberlain The Chamberlain of London keeps the City Money, which is laid up in the Chamber of London, an Apartment in Guild-Hall. 1779 W. Gostling (ed. 3) viii. 46 To repay the said twenty-five pounds, after the ten years are expired, into the chamber of the city, to be lent out again to the same intent and purposes. 1836 D. Robertson x. 353 There was a regular mode of proceeding, on the death of any freeman, for calling the orphanage money into the chamber of the city. 1855 9 24 A writer in ‘Fraser's Magazine’ says, ‘The gross amount received into the civic chamber or treasury in 1852 may be stated in round numbers at £550,000.’ 1935 22 Mar. 14/5 In 1869 proposals would have given the Lord Mayor £9,000 a year, the Chamber of London taking the ‘dues and fees’. 2002 V. Harding 298 The records of London's government survive well (apart from accounts, lost in the Chamber fire of 1786). 4. society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > [noun] > a chamber or house of c1400 (?c1380) (1920) l. 1586 Ho herde hym chyde to þe chambre.] 1422 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt (1931) 128 (MED) A commune Steyre..þe whiche..þe Chambre shuld amende. c1475 (?c1400) (1842) 12 Þis þat þe pope reseruiþ to himsilf and to þe chaumbre. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane f. cviij But where as Albert perseuered in his purpose, he was outlawed at this tyme by the Iudges of the Emperiall chambre, at the sute of Walter Cronberge. 1589 G. Puttenham i. viii. 12 Frauncis the Frenche king made Sangelais, Salmonius, Macrinus, and Clement Marot of his priuy Chamber. 1680 No. 1508/3 The Chamber of Poysons is now going to take in hand the affair of the Duke of Luxemburgh. 1726 J. Ayliffe 65 In the Imperial Chamber this vulgar answer is not admitted... And the reason of this Non-admission is, because of its great uncertainty. 1796 T. Twining (1894) 52 From the hall of the Representatives, I went to that of the Senate, or Upper Chamber. 1848 W. K. Kelly tr. L. Blanc I. 387 The chambers..attempted to deal with this important problem. 1863 H. Cox i. vii. 88 The chamber not elected by the people. 1932 H. R. Spencer xxiii. 261 This Chamber of Deputies..had turned out to be..much more Fascist than laboristic. 1941 A. Koestler 157 The abstentionisme of the Chamber was intended to be a subtle fractional device; in fact it was a declaration of irresponsibility. 2004 H. Kennedy (2005) v. 131 The commitment to a reformed upper chamber was lukewarm once most of the hereditary peers were ousted. society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > [noun] > place of > hall, house, or room 1428 in J. Raine (1890) 7 (MED) Mayr..aldermen..shirrefs..war gedird to ye chambre. 1539 c. 10 §8 Suche of them as shall happen to be under the saide degree of a Baron, shall sitt..at the uppermost parte of the sakkes in the middes of the saide Parliament Chamber. 1599 J. Hayward 29 First he assembled them in the Councell chamber, and there demanded, of what yeeres they tooke him to be: they answered, that he was somewhat aboue one and twenty. 1660 44 I was admitted into the Committe-chamber. 1714 No. 5254/2 The Lords..and others..met..in..the Painted Chamber. 1757 P. Bacon 68 We shall only retire into the council-chamber, that we may duly consider of this matter. 1848 332 In the Senate he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee; and his voice, though not often heard in the chamber, was always heard with respect. 1879 Dec. 176/1 The main academic interest of the Assembly chamber is the union in it of Gothic architecture and Saracenic decoration. 1919 J. Reed ii. 19 On the other side of the chamber the Mensheviki Internationalists and the Left Socialist Revolutionaries advocated..practically the Bolshevik programme. 1954 9 154 An epidemic of influenza in the House of Commons and complaints by Members that the air of the Chamber ‘lacked freshness’. 2000 S. McKay 241 He was up in arms. Rising from his seat in the main chamber of the town hall, he shouted, ‘Am I a darkie?’ 1672 H. P. Cressy (heading) To the Right Honourable Sir Marc-Albert D'Ognate Knight,..President of the Chamber of Commerce and Navigation, and Envoyé from the King of Spain to his Majesty of Great Brittain. 1789 15 Chamber of Produce, in which presides the Superintendant for inspecting all Raw Materials from the Animal, the Vegetable, and the Mineral Kingdoms of Nature. 1866 12 Mar. 7/7 Into the Forfarshire cases a very careful investigation is being made by the Chamber of Agriculture. 1899 Oct. 484 Sir Henry Loch made a promise to the mining magnates—as per letter of Mr. Lionel Phillips, then the Chairman of the Johannesburg Chamber of Mines—to stir up the Transvaal Government. 1950 R. Lewis & A. Maude (Amer. ed.) iv. 92 The manager of Harrods' department store told the Drapers' Chamber of Trade that retail selling was sustained by the strong working-class demand for clothes, furniture, and even motor cars. 1989 1 Sept. 42/1 He has the status of Pferdewirt (German riding instructor) from the Chamber of Agriculture and the National Riding Federation of West Germany. 2001 Sept. 19/1 An inter-industry working party—comprising the International Chamber of Shipping (IBS), BIMCO..and OCIMF—has launched an Industry Code of Practice on Ship Recycling. 5. society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > jurisdiction of or areas under specific authorities > [noun] > directly under king society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > [noun] > chief town or capital city 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus i. iv. 46 Garama, the chiefe citie, and as we terme it, the chambre of the king. 1597 W. Shakespeare iii. i. 1 Welcome sweete Prince to London to your chamber . View more context for this quotation 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden i. 421 London..the seat of the British Empire, and the Kings of Englands chamber [L. Regumque Angliae Camera]. 1631 J. Weever 608 This his Citie of Maldon, then the chamber of his kingdome. 1644 J. Howell Ded. To my Imperial Chamber, the Citie of London. 1789 W. Barrett 83 Bristol is accounted the queen's chamber, as London is the king's chamber. 1851 C. Knight I. 2 There is scarcely a brick or a stone left standing that may present to us a memorial of ‘the king's chamber’ of four hundred and fifty years ago. 2006 T. N. Corns iii. 133 London remains the camera regia, the royal chamber of a wise and pacific king. 1645 J. Howell vi. xi. 20 Huge Fleets of men of War,..do daily sail on our Seas, and confront the Kings Chambers. 1699 in (1852) I. 564 Those places called the king's chambers, where shipps of warr are numerous. 1724 W. Wynne I. p. xvi About 2 Swedish Ships taken by the Dutch, and driven into Dover. Where the Swedish Envoy arrests them, as being taken within the King's Chambers. 1856 W. Whewell II. 400 The exclusive territorial jurisdiction of the British Crown over the enclosed parts of the sea along the coasts of the islands of Great Britain, has immemorially extended to those bays called the King's Chambers. 1929 W. E. Masterson viii. 112 There was no specific legislation [during the reigns of George IV, William IV, and Victoria] calling for jurisdiction for two leagues or over the so-called King's Chambers, but these Chambers were embraced within the one-hundred, and in some cases, the eight-league statutes. 1974 60 96 Considerable areas of sea were thus enclosed within the Chambers, particularly on the west coast. 6. In plural. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > accommodation or lodging > [noun] > hired lodgings 1581 f. 33v Some other seeing the charges of householde encrease so much,..geue ouer theyr householdes and get them chambers in London. 1601 J. Wheeler 16 Townsmen..did let out the best of their houses to..strangers for chambers, and pack-houses. a1722 in J. Lauder (1759) I. 454 They cannot sub-set the whole: for one may set set off chambers, and parts of their house. 1771 O. Goldsmith 8 I had thoughts in my chambers to place it in view, To be shown to my friends as a piece of virtù. 1843 C. Dickens i. 18 He [sc. Scrooge] lived in chambers which had once belonged to his deceased partner. 1869 G. Rawlinson 236 The ‘Museum’, or university building, comprised chambers for the Professors. 1883 Oct. 783/2 He had a reputation for living hard when in his chambers in town. a1933 J. Galsworthy (1934) ii. iii. 349 The chambers were occupied only by Stack, who had been Wilfrid's batman in the war. 1959 N. Mailer (1961) 95 She comes to see him about something or other, woman trouble maybe, and he seduces her in his medical chambers. 1999 30 Oct. 29/1 The tormented mastermind behind Wagnerian hate-pop gothcore titans Nine Inch Nails has cancelled two days of interviews, loaded up on Lemsip and retired to his chambers. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > suite of rooms > [noun] 1598 J. Stow 59 They are..selected and called to the degree of Vtter Barresters, and so enabled to bee common counsellers, & to practise the lawe, both in their chambers and at the Barres. 1641 Harcourt in 45 288 Thine of 6 Decr. from Sarjant Glanvieelds chambers, came to my hands. 1676 W. Wycherley ii. E iv b You are to pretend only to be her Squire, to arm her to her Lawyers Chambers. 1712 T. Tickell No 410 ⁋1 I dismissed my Coach at the Gate, and tripped it down to my Counsel's Chambers. 1791 J. Boswell anno 1759 I. 190 He found his old master in chambers in the Inner Temple. 1810 C. Lamb Let. 2 Jan. in (1978) III. 34 When I last wrote to you, I was in lodgings. I am now in chambers. 1883 A. Barratt Pref. 21 He generally kept his MSS. at his chambers in Lincoln's Inn. 1913 Final Rep. Royal Comm. Univ. Educ. in London (Cd. 6717) iii. 147 in XXXX. 297 It is left to the man himself to obtain the training he needs, usually by the expensive process of entering a barrister's chambers as a pupil, or going into a solicitor's office. 1941 D. G. Mackail xvii. 361 Though Furnivals Inn had gone now, he must live in chambers in the Temple or somewhere like that. 1997 30 Dec. 17/4 His chambers contained several notable barristers of a similar age. society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > place where court is held > [noun] > judge's room 1818 W. Cruise (ed. 2) IV. 360 If the defendant is not satisfied, I will send it to be argued before the Lord Chief Baron and Mr. Justice Burnet, at their chambers. 1824 30 Nov. 3/3 The Lord Chief Justice inquired whether this subject hasd not better be heard in chambers. 1864 30 Aug. The bankrupt had not only been arrested on a ca. sa. but on a capias, and the proper course would be to apply to a judge at chambers. 1912 II. 589/2 The procedure in Chancery, especially in chambers, seemed a cumbersome survival of medievalism. 1966 K. Tynan 3 Jan. (1994) v. 332 A proviso that no legal action (even under the existing laws of libel and obscenity) may be taken against plays without the consent of the D.P.P. after consulting a judge in chambers. 2008 (Nexis) 5 Mar. Because the argument was heard in chambers, we don't know how the prosecution responded. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > chamber-pot, etc. 1829 W. M. Thackeray 19 Apr. (1945) I. 62 After dinner an immense silver cup twice as big as a —— (‘chamber’ we call it here) was brought round filled with Audit Ale. 1855 15 336 The patient desired to sit on the chamber, and I retired. 1922 J. Joyce iii. xviii. [Penelope] 720 Wheres the chamber gone. 1953 R. S. Illingworth xxvii. 283 Provided that there is never a fight to keep the child on the chamber and the child does not resist, ‘potting’ is a harmless procedure. 2001 P. Razor vi. 74 You normally use the chamber near your bed, now it's in the center of the room. II. An enclosed space or cavity. the world > life > the body > vascular system > heart > [noun] > ventricle or chamber the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > enclosing or enclosure > [noun] > an enclosed space or place > compartment or chamber a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. v. xxxvi. 240 In þe herte of a beest wiþ litil herte ben tweye chambres. c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock (1921) 11 Eche of þese han to hem her propre chaumbres in þe brayn, or propre cellis. ?1545 C. Langton sig. Dii For the most part they be called ye first chaumbre of the brayne. 1684 S. Pordage tr. T. Willis Anat. Brain in (rev. ed.) i. 50 Whilst the three-sided Fornix stretched underneath a chamber.., it distinguished its appearing cavity as it were into three partitions. 1774 O. Goldsmith VI. 219 The first cavity, or chamber, of the brain, is filled with..spermaceti. 1831 D. Brewster xxxv. 288 The two parts into which the iris divides the eye are called the anterior and the posterior chambers. 1866 Duke of Argyll v. 240 The nectar chambers of long tubular flowers. 1946 H. Woods (ed. 8) 306 The interior of the shell..is divided into a number of chambers by means of transverse partitions termed septa. 2002 R. Porter v. 130 Blood was passing directly from the right chamber of the heart to the left without being oxygenated in the lungs. 9. society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > breech > detached charge piece 1450 in H. Nicolas (1837) VI. 94 (MED) Item v grete rebawdkins [sc. cannons]..with x chambres. 1481 in J. P. Collier (1844) 23 ij. lytel broken goonys and iij. chambers to them. 1534 T. Percy Let. 15 Mar. in (P.R.O.: SP 3/6/103) f. 136 William fyssher..toke owte of here two Gunnes & iij chamberres. 1581 in H. Paton (1904) 35 Twa bombardis of iryne..with three chalmers of iryne effierant tharto. 1627 J. Smith xiv. 66 Chambers is a charge made of brasse or iron which we vse to put in at the britch of a sling or Murtherer, containing iust so much powder as will driue away the case of stones of shot. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Murderer, small pieces of ordnance which were loaded by shifting metal chambers placed in the breech. society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [noun] > signal or ceremonial gun society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [noun] > other pieces of ordnance 1540 Sc. Ld. Treasurer's Acc. in R. Pitcairn (1833) I. 306 Doune-taking of xxx Chalmeris of þe Heid of Davidis Towris..with vthir Chalmeris and Munitioune. 1587 A. Fleming et al. (new ed.) III. 1209/1 Robert Thomas, maister gunner of England, desirous..to honour the feast and mariage daie..made three great traines of chambers. 1600 W. Shakespeare ii. iv. 50 For to serue brauely, is to..venture vpon the chargde chambers brauely. View more context for this quotation 1668 No. 255/3 At his Entry into the Town the great Guns and Chambers were discharged. 1727 13 Oct. 3 Guns and Chambers were fired all Day. 1840 Jan. 78/2 Inside it was a miniature gun, probably a chamber. society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > bore > chamber 1591 T. Digges (rev. ed.) 177 In all such peeces as haue the Chamber for their Poulder. 1627 J. Smith xiv. 66 In a great Peece we call that her Chamber so far as the powder doth reach when she is laded. 1742 (Royal Soc.) 42 181 Change of the Form in the Chamber, will produce a Change of the Distance to which the Bullet is thrown. 1825 5 Feb. 306/2 Sometimes the powder in the chamber of the gun will be damp..and the copper cap or pellet will not communicate its fire. 1888 26 June 10/3 A six-chambered revolver was discovered. It was loaded in five chambers, and one chamber had evidently been recently discharged. 1945 C. E. Balleisen iv. 30 Feeding mechanisms can be simplified if the cartridge can be pushed directly forward from the link into the chamber. 2006 July 70/1 The gun ‘broke’ in the middle..revealing chambers that were loaded with self-contained cardboard cartridges. society > armed hostility > attack > action or state of siege or blockade > [noun] > mine(s) > part of 1638 H. Hexam tr. S. Marolois & A. Girard 39/2 These mines are commonly made in the forme of a paralellograme or a long square, to wit, the chamber [Fr. la chambre] in which the pouder is layd, must be 4 or 5 foote high. 1650 B. Gerbier 9 A Mine..wherein a chamber being made, and powder placed, it serves to ruine and blow up an enemies work. 1785 F. O'Gallagher viii. 14 The efforts and contortions of gunpowder flame in the chamber of a mine or piece of ordance. 1865 D. H. Mahan I. 152 The chamber of a mine is a cavity, formed to receive the charge of powder. 10. the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hole or pit > [noun] > cave 1575 G. Turberville 195 As neare as you can, iudge where aboutes the chiefe angles or chambers should be. 1742 (Royal Soc.) 41 362 Most People that have gone into it, went by a Thread or Clue;..which seems altogether unnecessary, there being no Windings or Chambers throughout of any Extent. 1823 W. Buckland 111 In the natural chambers there is not a single fragment of bone, except upon or below the floor. 1851 G. A. Mantell iv. 397 The entrance to this cave..leads to a series of chambers from fifteen to twenty feet high, and several hundred feet in extent, terminating in a deep chasm. 1909 12 Mar. 439/2 From this chamber passages open in various directions, frequently expanding into large rooms, some of which have wonderful stalagmites and stalactites. 1981 F. Hoyle ii. 37 Although the cave is nearly 300 metres long, most of the paintings are in a chamber 18 by 9 metres. 2006 R. Steves & P. O'Connor 237 Look for the 30-foot-deep sinkhole beside the road on the right (a collapsed cave chamber). 1710 J. Harris II Fourneau, is the Powder Chamber, or the Chamber of a Mine, which holds the Powder in Barrels or Sacks, (usually about 1000lb. Weight). 1745 Mil. Dict. in sig. b4 Chamber of a Battery, called Powder Chamber, or Bomb Chamber. A place sunk under Ground, for holding the Powder or the Bombs, where they may be out of Danger, and preserved from Rains. 1999 (Nexis) 24 Sept. 27 We are about to enter ‘the most dangerous part of the fort’, the powder chamber. It does not bear thinking of what a careless match would have done to the 50 tons of gunpowder once kept here. the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > grave or burial-place > burial-chamber > [noun] > vault 1799 H. Hunter tr. C. S. Sonnini II. xxxvi. 339 A view in perspective, drawn by Mr. Dalton, of the space between the chamber of the tomb, and the great inclined gallery. 1831 W. Scott Count Robert vi, in 4th Ser. I. 189 A perfume..more suitable to sepulchrous chambers, than to the dwellings of men. 1882 Jan. 396/1 The massive chamber of this tomb where lies the mummy is pictureless. 1901 444 The one [tomb], a square chamber with a dromos, yielded parts of two painted larnakes, thoroughly Mycenean in design. 1956 R. J. C. Atkinson v. 149 The tomb has..two pairs of chambers opening off its sides. 2006 17 501/1 The attendant's body..had been placed facedown..in the reduced space between the sarcophagus and the chamber's west wall. the world > the earth > minerals > mineral deposits > [noun] > vein > vein of ore 1865 (Geol. Surv. Calif.) I. ii. 59 In the ‘Sleeman Tunnel’, a chamber of ore was opened running nearly east and west for a distance of seventy-five feet. 1935 B. Stočes & C. H. White 293 By the enlargement of certain parts of the vein, what are known as chamber lodes are formed. When the chambers are lenticular and frequent they are called lenticular veins. 1998 M. L. Davis i. 17 He struck an incredibly rich silver ore chamber, eighty feet long by twenty-five feet wide, larger than any that had been discovered in the region. society > occupation and work > equipment > pump > [noun] > chamber or receptacle the world > the earth > water > body of water > channel of water > [noun] > navigable waterway > canal > lock or chamber 1769 W. Falconer sig. *E Corps de pompe, the chamber of a pump. 1811 A. T. Thomson ii. 9 Into a chamber lined with sheet lead..water is poured. 1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ 175 The steam is conveyed..into the upper chamber of the upper box. 1837 H. Martineau II. 196 Our boat won the race, and we bolted..into the chamber of the first lock. 1879 (new ed.) IV. 74/2 These tubes terminate in a small chamber. 1923 ii. 201 Care should be taken that the correct amount of oil is in the oil pump at the bottom of the base chamber; an oil cock or dip rod is fitted for this purpose. 1947 (Dept. Fisheries, Brit. Columbia) (rev. ed.) 36 The machine..consists essentially of a chamber into which the can enters and which is held under a constant vacuum by being connected to powerful vacuum-pumps. 1961 (ed. 63) 393 At the junction of the two stems of the pump chambers is situated an oscillating steam valve or clapper, which places each chamber alternately into communication with the steam supply pipe. 2003 R. J. Pond vi. 125 An old mill straddled Lock 3... Notice the exposed timbers at the north end of the chamber. Phrases P1. 1510 in W. Fraser (1858) 293 In the chalmer of des of the said hall, a waist stand bed, wyth a waist press. 1584 in W. Fraser (1863) I. 317 To enter in the chalmer of dais at the Colledge hall end. a1605 in R. Bannatyne (1806) 486 Adam..causit beir butt the deid corps to the chalmer of davice. 1731 J. Creichton 97 The chamber where he lay was called the Chamber of Deese..a room where the Laird lies when he comes to a Tenant's house. 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian i, in 2nd Ser. III. 23 And then my mother's wardrobe, and my grandmother's forby..they are a' in the chamber of deas—Oh, Jeanie, gang up the stair, and look at them! 1824 W. Scott I. xi. 235 Just opposite the chamber of dais, whilk his master occupied. 1872 E. W. Robertson 107 The chamber of Deese, the best room in the farmhouse of a certain class. 1955 D. Mathew vii. 122 In the north chamber above the chamber of dais and in the little room beyond were an oak and a wainscot bedstead and three feather beds. P2. society > trade and finance > trading organization > [noun] > chamber of commerce 1672 H. P. Cressy (heading) To the Right Honourable Sir Marc-Albert D'Ognate Knight,..President of the Chamber of Commerce and Navigation, and Envoyé from the King of Spain to his Majesty of Great Brittain.] 1683 J. Dalrymple I. 618 The Pass from the Chamber of Commerce..was granted for a former Voyage, from Ostend to France. 1731 tr. Comte de Forbin I. 343 The Arrival of the Fleet..was so great a Pleasure to the Merchants, that..the Chamber of Commerce consulted to make me a Present of Two thousand Livres. 1862 D. T. Ansted & R. G. Latham iv. xxiv. 556 There are Chambers of Commerce in both islands. 1934 L. Charteris xi. 229 Mr. Tombs's father was an exceedingly rich and exceedingly pious citizen of Melbourne, a loud noise in the Chamber of Commerce,..and an indefatigable guardian of public morality. 2008 314 A brochure with a map and guidebook, available at the chamber of commerce on the plaza,..points out several historic buildings. P4. a1529 J. Skelton (?1545) 185 In the Chambre of Starres All maters there he marres. 1863 14 102/2 No man knew..how soon he might stand in the awe-inspiring presence of the High Commission Court or the dread ‘Chamber of Stars’. Compoundsa1350 (?c1225) (Harl.) (1901) l. 982 (MED) Þe see him con ded þrowe vnder hire chambre wowe. 1350–1 in R. Stewart-Brown (1910) 178 (MED) Chamber rent [to be paid yearly]. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 211 (MED) His chambre wyndowes. c1400 (?c1390) (1940) 1742 Ho comez with-inne þe chambre dore & closes hit hir after. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 919 A nyghtyngale..Vpon þe chambre wal..Ful loude sang. a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 459 in (2002) i. 314 Þo chambur sydes..He henges with tapetis. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour (St. John's Cambr.) v. 580 A chalmir page thar vith him ȝeid. 1516 in J. L. Glasscock (1882) 35 For a key to Sr. Johns chamber-dore viijd. c1550 in 107 196/1 Chamber Fawcons of brasse. 1595 R. Hasleton sig. Ciiij And immediatly searching about, I found an olde Iron stub, with the which I brake an hole thorow the chamber wall. 1614 T. Overbury et al. Characters in (5th impr.) sig. F2v He begins to sticke his letters in his Ground chamber window. a1649 W. Drummond (1711) 56/1 His Chamber-Prayers, Which are pour'd 'midst Sighs and Tears To avert God's fearful Wrath. 1670 J. Eachard 16 Bed-making, Chamber-sweeping, and Water-fetching. 1725 W. Halfpenny Pl. 19 The Chamber Plan, and Section. 1735 III. App. 397 He knew his Master was not come home, because he saw a light in his Chamber Window. 1777 J. Howard 85 The Chamber-Rents are all regulated [in France]. 1781 R. Twining Jrnl. 28 Sept. in (1887) 87 His own valet sleeps upon a little bed placed at the outside of his chamber door. 1841 F. Marryat III. iv. 60 Mrs. Phillips..lighted a chamber candlestick to go to bed. 1856 F. L. Olmsted 49 The chamber-servants are..accomplished in their business. 1880 J. Lomas 43 Only by his drips and chamber caps can an acid maker know exactly what is going on in his chambers. 1931 2 481 These markings of the chamber rim also appear if the cartridge is placed directly in the chamber with the slide opened. 1958 C. M. Watkins in H. Comstock 360 Blown-glass types ranged from tiny chamber lamps to splendid standing specimens with bell-shaped bases and knopped stems. 1971 P. J. McMahon x. 298 A chamber pressure of 6 000 kN/m2. 2000 (Electronic ed.) 13 Sept. Chamber members who register today will be charged $349 for a booth. c1450 tr. (Royal) 30 Thingis..that makith þe body lene... Etyng of salt metes, drynkyng of oold wyn, ouirmoche to vse chambir worke. a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun (Nero) ii. 1352 Hir stewart..On hir gat in chawmyr play A barn. a1586 Sir P. Sidney (1590) i. x. sig. F7v In the comparison thereof [sc. of hunting] he disdained all chamber delights. 1597 iii. i. 888 Sir Oliver, Sir Randal, base, base chamber-tearmes! 1603 J. Davies Extasie in 243 The Chamber-scapes, The sinnes gainst Nature, and the brutish Rapes. 1613 G. Wither sig. B3v Chamber-combatants; who neuerWeare other helmet, then a hat of Beuer. 1616 B. Jonson Epigrammes lxxii, in I. 788 Thou art started vp A chamber-critick, and dost dine, and sup At Madames table. a1640 P. Massinger Bashful Lover v. iii. 124 in (1655) Will you..exchange your triumphs For chamber-pleasures? 1721 P. Stafford 43 Three buxom Females crown'd my nuptial Bed..The first I chose my vig'rous Nerves to prove, For Chamber Combats, and Feats of Love. 1925 Aug. 485/1 This sort of person demands a cold shower and indulges in chamber-athletics. 1757 I. 237/2 Thus Sonata da Camera, is Chamber Sonatas. 1789 C. Burney III. vii. 535 His chamber duets are the most celebrated of his works. 1829 13 June 35 After the play, a young lady, a pretty chamber singer, warbled Bishop's ‘Lo, here the gentle lark’. 1881 1 Dec. 5/3 Some of his works were given by a select chamber band. 1966 29 Dec. 10/2 [He] planned to make Philomusica more of a ‘small orchestra’, with perhaps 40 members, than a ‘chamber band’ with 14 or so players. 1989 (Nexis) 16 Sept. nj 19 The chamber singers will offer Italian and English Madrigals. 2004 G. J. Buelow 298 The fifteen Latin motets..are beautiful chamber compositions written for modest resources. C4. the world > matter > chemistry > chemical substances > acids > [noun] > acids-named > containing sulphur > sulphuric acid 1853 A. Ure (ed. 4) II. 800 For many purposes in the arts, such acid [sc. sulphuric] is quite strong enough; and hence, under the name ‘chamber acid’, it is extensively employed. 1922 T. M. Lowry xxv. 343 Steam from a boiler or a spray of finely divided water enters the chambers, and ‘chamber-acid’ collects on the floors of the chambers. 2003 W. Horobin (ed. 3) 24/1 The reaction is complex..but is basically an oxidation reaction that produces chamber acid—an impure solution of around 65 per cent sulfuric acid in water. society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > [noun] > house arrest 1834 II. at Stube Stubenarrest..,arrest by which a person is confined to his apartment, chamber-arrest. 1903 19 Dec. 5/1 Frederick the Great, when Crown Prince, was not only condemned to chamber-arrest, but actually flung into prison. 1987 62 910 The charges brought against him.., for which his books were burned and he was placed under chamber arrest, offer a fascinating case of a bishop tried and convicted of heresy. society > law > legal profession > lawyer > [noun] > counsellor, barrister, or advocate > counsel who gives opinions in private 1825 R. G. Wallace I. 157 Having made a long speech, for no chamber-barrister was ever fonder of hearing himself talk, he proceeded to business. 1888 9 Jan. 14/1 He believed that there were one or two ladies practising as chamber barristers. society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [adjective] > type of artillery by construction 1669 S. Sturmy ii. v. xii. 58 To know whether your Piece be Chamber-bored. 1703 T. Binning (new ed.) xxiii. 90 Know that of Chamber-bored Guns, there are three sorts. society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > opera > [noun] > cantata 1853 23 July 122/3 A third form..was the Chamber Cantata or Reciting Drama, which, connected from the first with the fate of the opera..produced masterpieces under the pens of Carissimi and Scarlatti. 1905 E. J. Dent 9 The immense popularity of the chamber-cantata during the whole of the seventeenth and the early part of the eighteenth century. 2000 R. Wistreich in J. Potter xv. 183 The increasing size of the mixed vocal and instrumental ensembles required to perform concerted music for the courtly opera and the chamber cantatas of the Baroque period. 1875 J. W. Dawson vii. 185 Dr. Gümbel, observing..grains of coccolith..in crystalline calcareous marbles, considered them to be ‘chamber casts’ or of organic origin. 1950 4 17 (title) A chamber cast in Nodosaria affinis. 2001 16 153/2 One terminal chamber cast..is 26·5 cm long, 10·4 cm wide, and 6·3 cm high. 1542 in D. H. Fleming (1921) II. 769 x s. gevin to Chesolme, chalmerchild to my lord of Abirdene. 1597 J. Melville 14 This moved Phillip of Macedon, to commaunde his chalmer child euerie morning oft times to crye thrise in his ear; remember..that thou art but a mortall man. 1874 A. C. Swinburne i. i. 14 Her mere grace And simple favour shown a simple knave, Her chamber-child, her varlet? 1986 M. H. B. Sanderson iii. xiii. 228 It is just possible, however, that the ‘chamber child’, or body-servant,..may have been Amand Guthrie. 1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius (1858) II. 703 With ane sword..His chalmer cheild and all the laif, to deid..he pot thame all. 1579 in J. D. Marwick (1882) IV. 109 Alexander Young, chalmer cheild to the Kingis Maiestie. 1839 J. M. Wilson 14 Sept. 365/1 She presented the white towel with its inclosure to the ‘chaumer chiel’ of Robert Bruce. 1857 24 Feb. 1/2 (advt.) The chamber choir under the direction of Mr. Land. 1925 66 844/1 ‘The Seasons’, for chamber choir. 2003 M. Hannan iii. 64 Some pre-17th century repertoire, which is usually without instrumental accompaniment. This is usually sung by chamber choirs. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > close-stool or commode 1842 25 Aug. 8/2 (advt.) With a mahogany seat and earthen pan, forming a completely air tight, inodorous chamber closet..in a handsome japanned box. a1877 E. H. Knight I. 525/1 Chamber-closet, a commode or night-chair for invalids and the infirm. The seat has a funnel which enters the urinal, and india-rubber packing prevents the escape of effluvia. society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > a performance > [noun] > concert > types of 1760 R. Griffith & E. Griffith (ed. 2) I. cxxv. 240 He did me the Favour to invite me, along with a Set of rival and admiring Ladies, to a Chamber Concert, many Years ago. 1836 Suppl. iii. 19 The..Soirées Musicales established at Paris..probably suggested the Chamber Concerts. 1924 P. Grainger Let. 14 Feb. in (1994) 65 I hope you will definitely decide to come for my 2nd chamber concert next season. 1992 12 Nov. i. 12/2 Exploring some of the ways in which popular culture has shaped new music was the object of two contemporary chamber concerts presented this week at Orchestra Hall. ?1884 W. W. Greener (ed. 2) 531 The thin brass cases do not perform nearly so well in guns that have abrupt chamber cones as in those without cones at all, or with cones tapering but little. 1927 Apr. 218/3 This hardness in turn prevents the scraping and flattening and general ‘batteration’ of the pellets in passing through the chamber cone and the choke cone. 1999 (Nexis) 22 Oct. (Hernando Times section) 3 The suspect's 380-caliber gun had four live rounds in it and one live round jammed in the chamber cone. society > law > legal profession > [noun] > conference or consultation > opinion given in chambers the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [noun] > private matter or business society > law > legal profession > lawyer > [noun] > counsellor, barrister, or advocate > counsel who gives opinions in private a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) i. ii. 239 I haue trusted thee..With all..My Chamber-Councels. 1672 W. Wycherley ii. i. 26 There is first your Sollicitor, then your Aturney, then your Pleading-Counsel, then your Chamber-Counsel, and then your Judge. 1691 A. Wood II. 107 Selden..gave sometimes Chamber-Counsel, and was good at conveyance. 1729 J. Bramston 38 Can he that ne'er read Statutes or Reports, Give Chamber-Counsel, or urge Law in Courts? 1751 S. Richardson (ed. 3) IV. xlii. 253 Doleman, who can act in these causes only as chamber-counsel, will inform us by pen and ink..of all that shall occur in our absence. 1837 VIII. 106/2 The duty of counsel is to give advice in questions of law, and to manage causes for clients. They are styled common law, equity, or chamber counsel, according to the nature of the business they transact. 1854 E. G. Ryan in (1983) 9 372 When some of her strong minded sisters are called to the Bar, she will have an opportunity of taking chamber-counsel from an unsuspicious source. 1909 9 Oct. 11/2 He had some good, though select, business as a chamber counsel. 1989 (Nexis) 7 Jan. m4 Crawford had no intention of becoming part of the ‘stormy discussions’ of the law courts, and had decided on a relatively quieter career as a chamber counsel. society > law > legal profession > lawyer > [noun] > counsellor, barrister, or advocate > counsel who gives opinions in private 1594 W. Jones tr. J. Lipsius iii. ix. 53 And troth it selfe admonisheth and sayth, that these chamber counsellors, do sell the best, the wariest, and wisest Emperor. 1711 R. Steele No. 2. ⁋6 He is..among Divines what a Chamber-Counsellor is among Lawyers. 1789 W. Romaine 11 Apr. (1796) VII. 358 It is a great favour to me, who am now only a chamber counsellor, to know the circumstances of my friends..that I may advise, and pray for suitable grace. 1805 A. A. Opie III. i. 40 Mr. Langley..was celebrated for his abilities as a chamber counsellor. 1848 339 In New York he was appointed judge of the Marine Court, continuing in the practice of his profession as a chamber counsellor. 1857 H. E. Davenport 21 The old Chamber Counsellor, Balder, might, indeed, be pensioned off. 1932 J. W. Reed & F. A. Pottle (1993) 100 (note) Robert Sheldon (1744-1830) was ‘chamber-counsellor’ only because, as a Roman Catholic, he could not qualify for admission to the bar. society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > [noun] > company of musicians 1907 W. S. Pratt xxxv. 593 At first they [sc. Brahms's works] were chiefly for the piano, the solo voice or the chamber ensemble. 2008 (Nexis) 1 Jan. (Features section) 2 [This] reworking..hardly qualifies as an opera—with just two singers playing multiple roles, a chamber ensemble and hardly any set at all. 1480 Wardrobe Accts. Edward IV in N. H. Nicolas (1830) 127 Amending of his chambre flore that dust shul not falle downe uppon them that sittes and occupies his halle xij d. 1591 R. Wilmot sig. A2 She gaue to vnderstand a conuenient waie for their desired meetings, through an old ruinous vaut, whose mouth opened directly vnder her chamber floore. 1702 C. Mather iii. 10/1 He perceived something was thrown into his Chamber... When he arose from his Knees, he saw a Purse on the Chamber-floor. 1731 H. Travers 117 Quick she mounted to the Chamber Floor. 1857 W. E. Worthen 243 First class houses, especially those not provided with water-closets and slop sinks on the chamber floor, should have two pairs of stairs. 1876 July 26/2 On the Chamber floor are seats for seventy-four Senators. 1972 4 44 On the principal floor the ceilings of the villa were probably thirteen feet high, and on the second or chamber floor ten feet high. 2003 14 210 Gann..reported the presence of ‘innumerable hootie-shells’ along the dry chamber floor of a 33-m-long cave. the world > matter > chemistry > chemical substances > acids > [noun] > acids-named > containing sulphur > sulphuric acid > manufacturing process > gas or mixture of gases involved in 1874 30 Jan. 62/1 Determination of oxygen in the gases which escape from the lead chambers... An apparatus by means of which a known volume of chamber-gas is collected. 1936 A. M. Fairlie xii. 276 The Reich method as applied to chamber gas was still further improved..by adding to the absorption bottle sodium acetate solution mixed with free acetic acid. 1987 J. A. McLean & G. Tobin iv. 65 A gas sampling bag is connected to the three-way tap and rinsed out twice with chamber gas. 2002 J. Shapiro (ed. 4) iv. iii. 284 The ionization produced in the chamber gas by electrons liberated from the walls compensates exactly for the ionization that would have been produced in the air by the electrons. a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Cock & Fox l. 518 in (1981) 24 Off chalmerglew..Waistit he wes, off nature cauld and dry. 1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius (1858) II. 534 This Culenus..So glittous was than into chalmer glew [etc.]. 1998 W. N. Herbert 86 The loose-tongued fresh from their rude escapades, still sticky wi the chalmer glew, cheekin up tae each ither lyk kissin fish. 1855 II. 99/1 Chamber gauge, a gauge used in verifying the size of the chamber of mortars and howitzers. 1945 9 May 4/4 (caption) Here a man's stronger muscles are needed to handle these 90 mm shells. They are being tested in a chamber gauge. 1999 P. Sweeney vi. 116 (caption) A full chamber gauge set is a ‘go’, a ‘no-go’ and a ‘field’ gauge. 1593 A. Anderson sig. Aiv Be your Prophets chamber groomes, to lay pillowes, vnder sinfull elbowes? a1634 G. Chapman (1641) v. 70 An Emperour might die standing, why not I? Nay without help, in which I will exceed him; For he died splinted with his chamber Groomes. 1888 J. Hunter-Duvar i. v. 27 My affair was prospering, when the chamber-groom Announced the Marquis de la Casserole. 2007 D. Thomas v. 332 The sergeants had unlocked the next door and now brought forward the robes, one at a time, and handed them to the chamber-grooms who would assist their patrons to put them on. 1907 W. S. Pratt xvii. 306 In the small or chamber group, on the other hand, there was as a rule but one player to a part. 2005 N. Kraus et al. (ed. 9) ii. 71 The Koussevitzky Music Shed is an open auditorium that seats 5,000... Chamber groups and soloists appear in the smaller Ozawa Hall. the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preserving or pickling > [noun] > preserving by cooling or freezing > one who works in a freezing-works 1933 Message from N.Z. Meat Producers' Board in 21 Jan. 5/7 Under suggested scheme works operating capacity of, say, 6,000 carcasses per day would be reduced to 4,000 per day, while practically the same number of assistants and chamber hands would still be required. 1999 T. Perriam 130 The chamber hands were next to make an award. society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > gymnastics > exercise > [noun] > equipment > others 1747 C. Cock 5 A chamber horse compleat. 1797 J. Black Let. 13 June in E. Robinson & D. McKie (1970) 278 A chamber horse or spring Chair gives me the most convenient exercise at present. 1835–6 I. 248/2 The difference between riding a chamber-horse and a real one. 1948 103 6 (caption) The great cabinet-maker [sc. Thomas Sheraton] designed this ‘chamber horse’ for the gentleman who wished his riding exercise regardless of the weather. 2006 7 Oct. 54/3 Cheyne recommended to Samuel Richardson that he compose his novel Pamela by dictating it while bouncing on a chamber horse. 1929 Oct. 150/3 Weill has resorted almost exclusively to his own type of jazz familiar from his Drei-Groschen Oper: literary jazz, so to speak, or ‘chamber jazz’. 1939 3 Apr. 2/2 A trio of piano, guitar and clarinet known only as ‘Three's a Crowd’ will bear watching. Their Bluebird release..is an excellent example of chamber jazz. 1989 C. S. Murray viii. 185 When John Lewis's Modern Jazz Quartet walked out on stage in their formal evening dress to play their occasionally bloodless chamber jazz, they were manifesting black pride. 2009 30 Mar. 12/2 It was through his vocalizations that Armstrong's chamber jazz took on a second life as pure pop manna. society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > kiln > [noun] > brick- or tile-kilns 1877 H. Reid iii. 129 A chamber kiln, from its requiring to be kept continuously at work, would provide too much lime for local wants. 1955 M. A. Michael tr. H. Martinson iv. iii. 256 A different furnace, a more modern one: a chamber kiln, with automatic firing. 2004 43 264/1 Chamber kilns are typified by multiple firing sectors within a single kiln. society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > domestic servant > [noun] > servant having care of bedchambers > boy 1778 T. Wharton II. xiv. 327 The pages of my bed-chamber. Called, in Scotland, Chamber-lads. 1889 F. E. Gretton 157 Sugden became chamber lad to a conveyancer, where he picked up the foundation of his law knowledge. 1612 Mr. King tr. Benvenuto i. iv. 267 We want here but a scholler, an Hackney man, a Marshall, a Custome house searcher, a chamber letter, a bargeman, and worse I cannot tell how to deuise. society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > domestic servant > [noun] > servant having care of bedchambers society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > workers with specific materials > metalworker > [noun] > workers with lead 1623 T. Powell 20 With great Officers the chamber-men weare good clothes. 1797 S. J. Pratt V. xiii. 108 All this is woman's work you know, Sir. I am but an aukward chamber-man. 1882 T. W. Higginson (1884) xlii. 173 [She] has her pillow smoothed and her curtains drawn, not by a chambermaid, but by a chamberman. 1921 (1927) §148 Chamber man (white lead); makes white lead by chamber process. 1956 26 Apr. a10/5 The chamberman..makes sulfuric acid. 1997 Oct. 282/3 A Japanese chamber man known as Charlie Jap looked after Hogan's room at the hotel. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > temporary inhabitant > [noun] > in another's house > lodger > room-mate 1612 sig. D3 The prison which makes men bee fellowes and chambermates with theeues, and murtherers. 1725 D. Turner 60 He regain'd so much of his Speech, as to acquit his Chamber-mate. 1819 S. T. Coleridge (1959) IV. 908 Jealousy will lour at his door and discord be his constant Table-guest and his Chamber-mate. 1886 G. C. Brodrick 22 His chamber mates and class mates. 1948 M. E. Chase ii. 21 His ‘chumb’, or chamber-mate..was to continue living with him during his four years as an undergraduate. 2002 J. Coakley in R. B. Browne et al. 89 Bartholomew's chamber-mate, Philosophy Master Giles Abigny. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making headgear > [noun] > millinery > milliner > types of 1760 ‘Heartfree’ 4 They therefore removed her to London, and apprenticed her to a very reputable chamber-milliner in Leicester-square. 1779 S. Johnson Milton in II. 49 He was a chamber-milliner, and measured his commodities only to his friends. 1812 A. Chalmers (new ed.) XI. 368 He placed Lucretia with a chamber milliner, and she afterwards became the wife of a linen-draper in London. 1864 4 May (Suppl.) 5/4 ‘Jessy Lea’ is the title of a new chamber opera. 1948 29 Dec. 7/6 It is a chamber opera, as appeared when it was done by R.C.M students in their own small theatre in 1934. 2003 C. T. McCants i. i. 83 It is virtually a chamber opera, lightly scored for an orchestra of only thirty-seven, although the vocal demands are extreme. society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > instrumentalist > company of instrumentalists > [noun] > orchestra > types of 1880 21 306/2 The first movement of Beethoven's Pianoforte Concerto in C minor was well performed by Miss Annie Pitts, accompanied by a Chamber Orchestra. 1958 10 Jan. 50/2 A rarer contribution to recorded Mozartiana is the fifteen one-movement Church Sonatas for chamber orchestra and organ. 2004 Mar. 83/1 It certainly offers scope for an accomplished chamber orchestra and five brave singers to display their versatility. society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > types of organ > [noun] > small organ 1673 in H. C. de Lafontaine (1909) 299 For portage for his Majesty's chamber organ. 1677 J. Wallis Let. 29 Mar. in H. Oldenburg (1986) XIII. 234 A Violl, answering to consonant Notes on a Chamber-Organ. 1789 R. Norris Journey to Court of Bossa Ahádee in (1968) 102 The chamber organ..had three barrels. 1834 II. 165/2 Apollonicon, the name given to a chamber organ of vast power, supplied with both keys and barrels. 1871 W. Black I. vi. 95 The tall chamber-organ, a handsome and richly decorated instrument, stood in a recess in the middle of the long apartment. 1937 J. A. Westrup xv. 223 The instrument of the ordinary music-lover was the viol... It was customary to accompany the viols on a chamber organ. 2004 Aug. 55/3 Egarr uses a chamber organ on some of the sonatas. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny II. 344 Clinice. (margin) Chamber Physicke. So called, because hee visited his patients lying sicke in bed. 1703 R. Pitt (ed. 3) Pref. p. xi You are sufficiently convinc'd by your own Observations, that very many recover the assistance of one or two Remedies, and the Kitchen or Chamber Physic and Cordials. 1547 in H. L. Blackmore (1976) I. 261 Chamberpeces with chambres. 1554 in U. H. H. Lambert (1949) 265 16 great peeces of ordinance of yron, whereof 2 are chamber peeces. 1852 tr. J. J. Seidel 32 Organs..tuned either in the so-called chamber-pitch [Ger. Kammerton]..or in the choir-pitch, which was a whole tone higher. 1942 W. T. Bartholomew (1950) i. 6 At one time secular music was played at ‘chamber pitches’ considerably higher, sometimes several semitones higher, than ‘church pitches’. 1993 21 208/2 17th-century chamber pitch would have further lowered the vocal ranges by a semitone. 1986 26 Jan. 26 The tunes in ‘Song & Dance’ are all sung by the same appealing voice backed with low-keyed chamber pop arrangements. 1996 2 May 16/4 (heading) The creator of chamber pop and writer of the Father Ted theme. 2003 Oct. 45/2 Brill sweetens his guitar strumming with accordion, horns and strings, and the chamber pop touches elevate the album. society > law > legal profession > [noun] > occupation as barrister > in chambers 1650 No. 7. 103 The Cavalier Madams are like to be lost, now that their Servants are constrained to give over their Chamber-practise, to entertain new Clients in the Country. 1660 G. Rogers 66 Many of that gown [i.e. lawyers] are seldom amorous, their dullmanity inclining them more to the hall than chamber-practice, and to the barr more than to the bed. 1709 R. Steele & J. Addison No. 101. ⁋1 A Lawyer who leaves the Bar for Chamber-Practice. a1797 E. Burke Tracts Popery Laws in (1842) II. 434/1 Chamber practice, and even private conveyancing..are prohibited to them. 1868 M. H. Smith lxvi. 532 Many of our best lawyers content themselves with chamber practice, giving counsel, conveyancing, etc., and never appear in court. 1928 5 Mar. 9/3 Besides being one of the counsel for the Home Office, he had an enormous chamber practice, and had licensing, rating, and the Poor Law at his finger's ends. 1992 19 154 The one-year diploma in legal practice..consists of simulated exercises in court and chamber practice, and lectures on the subjects which lawyers use most in practice. society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > [noun] > processing > other processes 1869 1/1 In the manufacture of white lead from metallic lead by means of corrosion two different processes are generally adopted—first, the old Dutch process..second, the ‘chamber process’. 1938 R. Hum xiv. 328 For many purposes..the acid produced by the chamber process is sufficiently concentrated. 2005 M. B. Hocking (ed. 3) ix. 276 The chamber process for the production of sulfuric acid is by far the older of the two commercial processes. 1856 H. K. Hunt x. 135 Many home-bound, chamber-ridden, used for years to medical calls, would make a desperate effort, saying ‘live or die’. 2001 M. Jooma in K. Guest iv. 68 The ‘old he-goat’..resembles no one more closely than Crusoe's gouty, chamber-ridden father. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > washing the hands > vessel for washing the hands (and face) 1824 20 Apr. 4/4 (advt.) A vast number of chamber sets for patent iron-stone china never before offered for sale, comprising ewers and basins of handsome patterns. 1895 Spring & Summer 535/2 English decorated Chamber set..consists of wash bowl and pitcher, chamber and cover, mug and soap dish. 1992 J. Chambers 49 Bedrooms in Victorian times always had a ‘chamber set’, which consisted of a pitcher, or jug, basin, soapdish and powder pot. ?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer xiv. 287 Thou hast a chamber-stead, Which Vulcan..contriv'd with all fit secrecy. ?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer (new ed.) xxiii. 270 The bed That stands within our bridal chamber-sted. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > close-stool or commode 1567 Doc. 22 Nov. in (1972) (modernized text) 22 6 chamber stools. 1574 J. Studley tr. J. Bale vi. f. 167 He had his couerlets of gould for his beds, his Chamber stooles and pottes of siluer. 1608 W. Clerk 205 A chamberstoole or pot, lasanum et scaphium. 1853 F. Humphreys 49 Perhaps it [sc. dysentery] may also be conveyed by the use in common with the sick, of the chamber stool, privy or point of the clyster. 1954 W. R. Trask in E. Sterba & R. Sterba viii. 120 Whole pages of conversations with advising friends center on household utensils and concerns, on pots and pans, the carding of mattresses, thread, a chamber stool, [etc.]. 2004 (Nexis) 29 Feb. 1 b An unusual structure, it included a bureau, mirror, bookrack, washstand, table, easy chair and chamber stool. 1671 J. Brown vii. 179 The Shop and first Chamber-story is two bricks thick; the other Stories 1 Brick and a half thick; and the Gable-ends 1 Brick thick. 1736 R. Morris ii. x. 163 The Attick, or Chamber Story, I propose to be wainscoted throughout with plain Wainscot. 1852 Oct. 441 The floors in chamber storey to be of same description as sitting-room floor. 2002 (Nexis) 16 Dec. 12 On the chamber storey (first floor to you and me), a drawing room the same size as the dining room, and three bedrooms with dressing rooms. 1703 T. Brown et al. (new ed.) 228 By my own Chamber Study, without a Tutor,..I could tell how many Parts of Speech there were by that time I was Eighteen Years of Age. 1868 M. Pattison 254 In the study of the classics..chamber-study must always be..superior to any courses of..lectures. the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > grave or burial-place > types of tomb > [noun] > types of ancient or prehistoric 1850 80 99/2 [Etruria] decorated chamber tombs of. 1929 A. J. Evans 69 The rock-cut Chamber Tombs with their dromoi..themselves reflect a form already known in Crete in the age preceding the conquest. 2003 2 26 The ancient inhabitants buried their dead in chamber tombs cut into the live rock. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > chamber-pot, etc. 1699 G. Farquhar iii. 25 Your Smock face was made for a Chamber Utensil. 1760 S. Foote ii. 72 The first lot was a chamber-utensil, in Chelsea china, of the pea-green pattern. 1864 E. Capern Brown-George, a chamber utensil made of red clay. 1952 H. Osborne vi. 179 Every respectable Indian family possesses a chamber utensil which is for prestige and not for use. 2005 (Nexis) 2 Feb. 21 A great deal is made of the necessity for proper airing of the sick room, the stoking of the fire, the immediate removal by the nurse of the chamber utensils, [etc.]. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > chamber-pot, etc. ?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives ii. iv. sig. a.iij Take and beare away the chamber vessel with his water thy selfe. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus ii. f. 212v Lasanum is greke and latin for an yearthen pissepotte, or chaumbre-vessel. 1640 H. Glapthorne iii. sig. F Kitchen-wenches, dresse their heads by the reflexion of a Paile of water, or in a pewter chamber vessell. 1769 150 The Captain..had taken up the chamber-vessel, and was kneeling on the bed. 1844 23 Aug. 6/5 He seized the tumbler from the hands of his wife, and emptied the contents into the chamber vessel. 1906 T. Hardy iii. i. 106 (stage direct.) The wine runs into pitchers, washing-basins, shards, chamber-vessels, and other extemporized receptacles. 1969 S. Erixon in J. G. Jenkins xviii. 300 Chamber-vessels, combs,..and particularly tobacco- and snuff-boxes, all have a rich history of their own. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online June 2022). chamberv. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: chamber n. Etymology: < chamber n. In sense 4 after French chambrer (1680 in this sense; other senses are apparently unparalleled in French until later, if at all: 1678 in sense ‘to share a chamber or room as lodging’, originally in military contexts, 1762 in sense ‘to confine (a sick person) in a chamber or room’, 1809 in sense ‘to confine (a person, e.g. a child) in a chamber or room’, 1886 in sense ‘to provide (a gun) with a chamber’). With sense 6 compare earlier chambering n. 3, and see discussion at that entry. Compare slightly earlier chambered adj. 1. a1402 J. Trevisa tr. (Harl.) 6 (MED) Takiþ hede of þe knyȝtes menyng & of þe clerkes menyng also. For þe wordes beþ nouȝt fulle chambred. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus i. f. 10 Critias manaced & thretened hym, that onelesse he chaumbreed his toungue in season, ther should ere long bee one oxe the fewer for hym. 1644 W. Prynne & C. Walker 12 To chamber up or restraine Iustice intra Privatos Parietes. a1650 in J. W. Hales & F. J. Furnivall (1868) III. 222 Chamber thy words now, I bidd thee. society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restriction or limitation > restrict or limit [verb (transitive)] the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > enclosing or enclosure > enclose [verb (transitive)] > in or as in other specific receptacle or enclosure the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or restricted in application > quality of being restricted or limited > restrict or limit [verb (transitive)] society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restraint depriving of liberty > confinement > confine [verb (transitive)] 1568 G. Buchanan (1923) 39 Sche with the erll Bothuele past to Drymen; in quhat ordour sche and he wes chalmerit thair anew saw. 1575 G. Gascoigne lxxii. 195 To make the vermine flee downe into the lowest parts, & there to chamber or angle themselues. 1597 W. Shakespeare i. i. 149 The best bloud chamberd in his bosome. View more context for this quotation 1601 W. Parry 11 Their women are..closely chambred up. 1640 R. Brome iv. v. sig. H4v Call downe my Neece out of The melancholy mist she's chambred in. a1783 H. Brooke Earl of Westmorland in (1789) IV. ii. v. 123 Ye silver lids, That chamber up the morning, open straight, Open your gates, that I may see my day. 1818 H. H. Milman 336* To the caves of the earth I've wail'd and shriek'd, they cannot chamber thee. 1868 H. Bushnell 91 Chambered..in his sleep under the open sky. 1908 L. Hearn (Popular ed.) xi. 220 I fancied them immured somewhere in that vast necropolis of dead gods,..chambered with forgotten divinities of Egypt or Babylon. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting a type of place > inhabit type of place [verb (intransitive)] > inhabit house > inhabit rooms 1536 IV. 50 To Johne Kedeslie..for..biging of ane kiching with ane gret brace quhare my lord chalmerit. 1611 T. Heywood i. sig. B4 You shall no more..chamber vnderneath the spreading Okes. 1667 J. Stewart 281 Iohn said to him, you and I will be chambered shortly in heaven, beside Mr Robertson. 1839 C. Mathews i. 48 They seemed to be the solemn halls of a great race which had its seat of empire there..and chambered in its tabernacles of ever-lasting stone. 1902 B. R. Davenport 186 She, who chambered with the cattle on Judah's hills. 1975 S. J. Perelman 62 I was chambered in the very suite tenanted by the former Maharaja. the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > make hollow [verb (transitive)] > form into a cavity or cavities 1605 in M. W. Barley (1961) 275 One of the old bayes chambered over with a fastened chamber of a somertree joists and boards. 1674 J. Durant Let. 9 Feb. in (Royal Soc.) (1747) 44 223 A spacious Cavity, chambered with Walls and Pillars of decident lapidescent Waters. 1786 W. Gilpin II. xxi. 123 The greatest part of them is chambered within, and wrought into secret recesses. 1866 Duke of Argyll ii. 102 A structure..hollowed and chambered on the plan which engineers have so lately discovered. 1898 25 367 A central cavity which in elongated forms is chambered by protoplasmic septa. 1960 K. Esau viii. 88 Crystalliferous parenchyma cells frequently have lignified walls with secondary thickenings and may be chambered by septa, each chamber containing one crystal. 1683 No. 1810/4 A Sandy grey Gelding..a black Leather Saddle..Chambered for his Back. 1710 No. 4746/4 A red Saddle with 4 Brass Nails, and Chamber'd just by the Chine Bone of the off Side. 1753 J. Bartlet xxvii. 264 If you are obliged to work the horse, take care your saddle is nicely chambered. 5. society > armed hostility > military equipment > production and development of arms > produce or develop arms [verb (transitive)] > processes in gun-making 1708 J. Kersey (at cited word) To Chamber a Gun is to make a chamber in her. 1879 (Weekly ed.) 10 Jan. 14/3 The 100-ton Armstrong gun..was not originally chambered. 1910 22 Sept. 1/2 Black powder is barred and all who have guns chambered for nitro powder bring them. 1960 W. H. B. Smith & J. E. Smith (ed. 6) xxv. 371/1 This weapon was chambered for a rimmed 7.62 mm ‘intermediate-sized’ cartridge. 2006 S. M. Stirling i. 19 A scope-sighted bolt-action piece with a thumbhole stock and chambered for a heavy big-game round, 9x70 mm Magnum. the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > containing or having within > contain or have within [verb (transitive)] > as in a chamber society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > fire (a gun) [verb (transitive)] > load or prime (a gun) > receive in chamber 1835 N. J. Wyeth Jrnl. 13 Apr. in F. G. Young (1899) I. iii– vi. 251 Building a canoe 60 feet long wide and deep enough to chamber barrells of which she will take 25. 1839 5 97/2 My father's big gun..would chamber five buckshot. 1904 S. E. White 163 Each was armed..with a brace of Colt's revolvers, chambering the same-sized cartridges as the rifle. 2006 R. W. D. Ball (ed. 4) 149/2 The Ml 888 Mauser..chambered a caliber 7.65 smokeless cartridge. 1880 29 Jan. 1035/1 When the shot is chambered tight back of the choke they have a tendency to strain the gun at the muzzle. 1916 May 9/3 Slowly crawling to where lay his rifle, the trapper secured it, and working the lever, chambered a cartridge into the barrel. 1950 H. M. Snyder vi. 84 Quickly chambering a fresh cartridge, I lined up on him again. 1963 (Korea ed.) 24 Oct. 2/1 Richard Smith, crew chief, and SFC Royce Linch, gunner, both chambered rounds in their rifles in case we were fired upon. 2000 M. Hamid xiii. 222 At home I keep playing with the gun, unloading and reloading the magazine, chambering rounds, popping them out. society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > [verb (intransitive)] 1823 J. Galt I. iv. 30 The day's no far aff, when ministers of the gospel in Glasgow will be seen chambering and wantoning to the sound o' the kist fu' o' whistles. 1895 7 756 These beings..were filled with mad lust for mortal women and so chambered with them. the world > the earth > minerals > mineral deposits > features of stratum or vein > [verb (intransitive)] > expand 1873 J. H. Beadle xviii. 335 The miner starts with a vein a foot or more wide..then it suddenly ‘chambers’ to some size, then ‘pinches’ to the thickness of a knife-blade. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online December 2021). <  n.?c1225 v.a1402 |
