Checker Check"er noun [ Old French
eschequier . See
Checker ,
transitive verb ]
1. A piece in the game of draughts or checkers. 2. A pattern in checks; a single check. 3. Checkerwork. » This word is also written
chequer .
Checkerberry Check"er·ber`ry (-bĕr`rȳ)
noun ;
plural Checkerberries .
(Botany) A spicy plant and its bright red berry; the wintergreen ( Gaultheria procumbens ). Also incorrectly applied to the partridge berry ( Mitchella repens ).
Checkerboard Check"er·board (-bōrd`)
noun A board with sixty-four squares of alternate color, used for playing checkers or draughts.
Checkered Check"ered (-ẽrd)
adjective 1. Marked with alternate squares or checks of different color or material. Dancing in the checkered shade.
Milton.
2. Diversified or variegated in a marked manner, as in appearance, character, circumstances, etc. This checkered narrative.
Macaulay.
Checkers Check"ers (chĕk"ẽrz)
noun plural [ See
Checher ,
v. ]
A game, called also daughts , played on a checkerboard by two persons, each having twelve men (counters or checkers) which are moved diagonally. The game is ended when either of the players has lost all his men, or can not move them.
Checkerwork Check"er·work` noun 1. Work consisting of or showing checkers varied alternately as to colors or materials. 2. Any aggregate of varied vicissitudes. How strange a checkerwork of Providence is the life of man.
De Foe.
Checklaton Check"la·ton noun 1. Ciclatoun. [ Obsolete]
2. Gilded leather. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Checkless Check"less adjective That can not be checked or restrained.
Checkmate Check"mate noun [ French échec et mat, from Persian
shāh māt ceckmate, lit., the king is dead, from Arabic māta he died, is dead. The king, when made prisoner, or checkmated, is assumed to be dead, and the game is finished. See
Chess .]
1. The position in the game of chess when a king is in check and cannot be released, -- which ends the game. 2. A complete check; utter defeat or overthrow.
Checkmate Check"mate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Checkmated ;
present participle & verbal noun Checkmating .]
1. (Chess) To check (an adversary's king) in such a manner that escape in impossible; to defeat (an adversary) by putting his king in check from which there is no escape. 2. To defeat completely; to terminate; to thwart. To checkmate and control my just demands.
Ford.
Checkrein Check"rein` noun 1. A short rein looped over the check hook to prevent a horse from lowering his head; -- called also a bearing rein . 2. A branch rein connecting the driving rein of one horse of a span or pair with the bit of the other horse.
Checkroll Check"roll` noun A list of servants in a household; -- called also chequer roll .
Checkstring Check"string` noun A cord by which a person in a carriage or horse car may signal to the driver.
Checkwork Check"work noun Anything made so as to form alternate squares like those of a checkerboard.
Checky Check"y (chĕk"ȳ)
adjective (Her.) Divided into small alternating squares of two tinctures; -- said of the field or of an armorial bearing. [ Written also
checquy ,
chequy .]
Cheddar Ched"dar adjective Of or pertaining to, or made at, Cheddar , in England; as, Cheddar cheese.
Cheek Cheek (chēk)
noun [ Middle English
cheke ,
cheoke , Anglo-Saxon
ceà ce ,
ceòce ; confer Goth.
kukjan to kiss, Dutch
kaak cheek; perhaps akin to English
chew ,
jaw .]
1. The side of the face below the eye. 2. The cheek bone. [ Obsolete]
Caucer. 3. plural (Mech.) Those pieces of a machine, or of any timber, or stone work, which form corresponding sides, or which are similar and in pair; as, the cheeks (jaws) of a vise; the cheeks of a gun carriage, etc. 4. plural The branches of a bridle bit. Knight. 5. (Founding) A section of a flask, so made that it can be moved laterally, to permit the removal of the pattern from the mold; the middle part of a flask. 6. Cool confidence; assurance; impudence. [ Slang]
Cheek of beef .
See Illust. of Beef . --
Cheek bone (Anat.) the bone of the side of the face; esp., the malar bone. --
Cheek by jowl ,
side by side; very intimate. --
Cheek pouch (Zoology) ,
a sacklike dilation of the cheeks of certain monkeys and rodents, used for holding food. --
Cheeks of a block ,
the two sides of the shell of a tackle block. --
Cheeks of a mast ,
the projection on each side of a mast, upon which the trestletrees rest. --
Cheek tooth (Anat.) ,
a hinder or molar tooth. --
Butment cheek .
See under Butment .
Cheek Cheek (chēk)
transitive verb To be impudent or saucy to. [ Slang.]
Cheeked Cheeked (chēkt)
adjective Having a cheek; -- used in composition. "Rose-
cheeked Adonis."
Shak.
Cheeky Cheek"y a Brazen-faced; impudent; bold. [ Slang.]
Cheep Cheep (chēp)
intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Cheeped (chēpt).] [ Confer
Chirp ].
To chirp, as a young bird.
Cheep Cheep transitive verb To give expression to in a chirping tone. Cheep and twitter twenty million loves.
Tennyson.
Cheep Cheep noun A chirp, peep, or squeak, as of a young bird or mouse.
Cheer Cheer (chēr)
noun [ Middle English
chere face, welcome, cheer, Old French
chiere , French
chère , from Late Latin
cara face, Greek
ka`ra head; akin to Sanskrit
çiras , Latin
cerebrum brain, German
hirn , and English
cranium .]
1. The face; the countenance or its expression. [ Obsolete] "Sweat of thy
cheer ."
Wyclif. 2. Feeling; spirit; state of mind or heart. Be of good cheer .
Matt. ix. 2.
The parents . . . fled away with heavy cheer .
Holland.
3. Gayety; mirth; cheerfulness; animation. I have not that alacrity of spirit,
Nor cheer of mind, that I was wont to have.
Shak.
1. That which promotes good spirits or cheerfulness; provisions prepared for a feast; entertainment; as, a table loaded with good cheer . 5. A shout, hurrah, or acclamation, expressing joy enthusiasm, applause, favor, etc. Welcome her, thundering cheer of the street.
Tennyson.
Whzt cheer ? Now do you fare? What is there that is cheering?
Cheer Cheer transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Cheered ;
present participle & verbal noun cheering .]
1. To cause to rejoice; to gladden; to make cheerful; -- often with up . Cowpe. 2. To infuse life, courage, animation, or hope, into; to inspirit; to solace or comfort. The proud he tamed, the penitent he cheered .
Dryden.
3. To salute or applaud with cheers; to urge on by cheers; as, to cheer hounds in a chase. To cheer ship ,
to salute a passing ship by cheers of sailors stationed in the rigging. Syn. -- To gladden; encourage; inspirit; comfort; console; enliven; refresh; exhilarate; animate; applaud.
Cheer Cheer intransitive verb 1. To grow cheerful; to become gladsome or joyous; -- usually with up . At sight of thee my gloomy soul cheers up.
A. Philips.
2. To be in any state or temper of mind. [ Obsolete]
How cheer'st thou, Jessica?
Shak.
3. To utter a shout or shouts of applause, triumph, etc. And even the ranks of Tusculum
Could scare forbear to cheer .
Macaulay.
Cheerer Cheer"er noun One who cheers; one who, or that which, gladdens. "Thou
cheerer of our days."
Wotton. "Prime
cheerer , light."
Thomson.
Cheerful Cheer"ful adjective Having or showing good spirits or joy; cheering; cheery; contented; happy; joyful; lively; animated; willing. To entertain a cheerful disposition.
Shak.
The cheerful birds of sundry kind
Do chant sweet music.
Spenser.
A cheerful confidence in the mercy of God.
Macaulay.
This general applause and cheerful shout.
Shak.
Syn. -- Lively; animated; gay; joyful; lightsome; gleeful; blithe; airy; sprightly; jocund; jolly; joyous; vivacious; buoyant; sunny; happy; hopeful.
Cheerfully Cheer"ful·ly adverb In a cheerful manner, gladly.
Cheerfulness Cheer"ful·ness noun Good spirits; a state of moderate joy or gayety; alacrity.
Cheerily Cheer"i·ly adverb In a cheery manner.
Cheeriness Cheer"i·ness noun The state of being cheery.
Cheeringly Cheer"ing·ly adverb In a manner to cheer or encourage.
Cheerisness Cheer"is·ness noun Cheerfulness. [ Obsolete]
There is no Christian duty that is not to be seasoned and set off with cheerishness .
Milton.
Cheerless Cheer"less adjective Without joy, gladness, or comfort. --
Cheer"less*ly ,
adverb --
Cheer"less*ness ,
noun My cheerful day is turned to cheerless night.
Spenser.
Syn. -- Gloomy; sad; comfortless; dispiriting; dicsconsolate; dejected; melancholy; forlorn.
Cheerly Cheer"ly adjective Gay; cheerful. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Cheerly Cheer"ly adverb Cheerily. [ Archaic]
Tennyson.
Cheerry Cheer"ry adjective Cheerful; lively; gay; bright; pleasant; as, a cheery person. His cheery little study, where the sunshine glimmered so pleasantly.
Hawthorne.
Cheese Cheese noun [ Middle English
chese , Anglo-Saxon
cēse , from Latin
caseus , Late Latin
casius . Confer
Casein .]
1. The curd of milk, coagulated usually with rennet, separated from the whey, and pressed into a solid mass in a hoop or mold. 2. A mass of pomace, or ground apples, pressed together in the form of a cheese. 3. The flat, circular, mucilaginous fruit of the dwarf mallow ( Malva rotundifolia ). [ Colloq.]
4. A low courtesy; -- so called on account of the cheese form assumed by a woman's dress when she stoops after extending the skirts by a rapid gyration. De Quincey. Thackeray. Cheese cake ,
a cake made of or filled with, a composition of soft curds, sugar, and butter. Prior . --
Cheese fly (Zoology) ,
a black dipterous insect ( Piophila casei ) of which the larvæ or maggots, called skippers or hoppers , live in cheese. --
Cheese mite (Zoology) ,
a minute mite ( Tryoglyhus siro ) in cheese and other articles of food. --
Cheese press ,
a press used in making cheese, to separate the whey from the curd, and to press the curd into a mold. --
Cheese rennet (Botany) ,
a plant of the Madder family ( Golium verum , or yellow bedstraw ), sometimes used to coagulate milk. The roots are used as a substitute for madder. --
Cheese vat ,
a vat or tub in which the curd is formed and cut or broken, in cheese making.
Cheese cloth Cheese" cloth` A thin, loosewoven cotton cloth, such as is used in pressing cheese curds.
Cheeselep Cheese"lep noun [ Confer
Keslop .]
A bag in which rennet is kept.
Cheesemonger Cheese"mon`ger noun One who deals in cheese. B. Jonson.
Cheeseparing Cheese"par`ing noun A thin portion of the rind of a cheese. --
adjective Scrimping; mean; as, cheeseparing economy.
Cheesiness Chees"i·ness noun The quality of being cheesy.
Cheesy Chees"y adjective Having the nature, qualities, taste, form, consistency, or appearance of cheese.
Cheetah Chee"tah noun [ Hind.
chītā .]
(Zoology) A species of leopard ( Cynælurus jubatus ) tamed and used for hunting in India. The woolly cheetah of South Africa is C. laneus . [ Written also
chetah .]
Chef Chef noun [ French]
1. A chief of head person. 2. The head cook of large establishment, as a club, a family, etc. 3. (Her.) Same as Chief .
Chef-d'œuvre Chef`-d'œuvre" noun ;
plural Chefs-d'œuvre . [ French]
A masterpiece; a capital work in art, literature, etc.
Chegoe, Chegre Cheg"oe, Cheg"re noun See Chigoe .
Cheiloplasty Chei"lo·plas`ty noun [ Greek ... a lip +
-plasty .]
(Surg.) The process of forming an artificial tip or part of a lip, by using for the purpose a piece of healthy tissue taken from some neighboring part.