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n. [ Pref. arch- + duchess. ] The consort of an archduke; also, a princess of the imperial family of Austria. See Archduke. [ 1913 Webster ]

pl. of Arch, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

Court of arches, or
Arches Court (Eng. Law), the court of appeal of the Archbishop of Canterbury, whereof the judge, who sits as deputy to the archbishop, is called the Dean of the Arches, because he anciently held his court in the church of St. Mary-le-Bow (de arcubus). It is now held in Westminster. Mozley & W. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. same as archesporium.
Syn. -- archesporium. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. of or pertaining to an archespore. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a primitive cell or group of cells from which a mother cell develops.
Syn. -- archespore. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. (Bot.) The English cow parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium) Dr. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. a widely cultivated southern European acanthus (Acanthus mollis) with whitish purple-veined flowers. See Acanthus, n., 1.
Syn. -- bear's breech, bear's-breech, bear's breeches, sea holly. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. pl. [ OE. brech, brek, AS. brēk, pl. of brōc breech, breeches; akin to Icel. brōk breeches, ODan. brog, D. broek, G. bruch; cf. L. bracae, braccae, which is of Celtic origin. Cf. Brail. ] 1. A garment worn by men, covering the hips and thighs; smallclothes. [ 1913 Webster ]

His jacket was red, and his breeches were blue. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Trousers; pantaloons. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Breeches buoy, in the life-saving service, a pair of canvas breeches depending from an annular or beltlike life buoy which is usually of cork. This contrivance, inclosing the person to be rescued, is hung by short ropes from a block which runs upon the hawser stretched from the ship to the shore, and is drawn to land by hauling lines. --
Breeches pipe, a forked pipe forming two branches united at one end. --
Knee breeches, breeches coming to the knee, and buckled or fastened there; smallclothes. --
To wear the breeches, to usurp the authority of the husband; -- said of a wife. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

pret. of Chese. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To choose [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Chasuble. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The wood louse. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. ches, F. échecs, prop. pl. of échec check. See 1st Check. ] A game played on a chessboard, by two persons, with two differently colored sets of men, sixteen in each set. Each player has a king, a queen, two bishops, two knights, two castles or rooks, and eight pawns. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A species of brome grass (Bromus secalinus) which is a troublesome weed in wheat fields, and is often erroneously regarded as degenerate or changed wheat; it bears a very slight resemblance to oats, and if reaped and ground up with wheat, so as to be used for food, is said to produce narcotic effects; -- called also cheat and Willard's bromus. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Other species of brome grass are called upright chess, soft chess, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The wild service of Europe (Purus torminalis). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The board used in the game of chess, having eight rows of alternate light and dark squares, eight in each row. See Checkerboard. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The chessboard and the checkerboard are alike. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The wooden mold in which cheese is pressed. Simmonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. [ Cf. F. chassis a framework of carpenty. ] (Mil.) The platforms, consisting of two or more planks doweled together, for the flooring of a temporary military bridge. Wilhelm. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞A singular, chess, is sometimes used. “Each chess consists of three planks.” Farrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. chesil, AS. ceosel gravel, sand. ] Gravel or pebbles. Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Chessmen /plu>. A piece used in the game of chess. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Chisley. ] Mellow earth; mold. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. chassis a framework of carpentry. ] (Naut.) A piece of oak bolted perpendicularly on the side of a vessel, to aid in drawing down and securing the clew of the mainsail. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Min.) The mineral azurite, found in fine crystallization at Chessy, near Lyons; called also chessylite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. chest, chist, AS. cest, cist, cyst, L. cista, fr. Gr. ki`sth. Cf. Cist, Cistern. ] 1. A large box of wood, or other material, having, like a trunk, a lid, but no covering of skin, leather, or cloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Heaps of money crowded in the chest. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A coffin. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He is now dead and mailed in his cheste. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The part of the body inclosed by the ribs and breastbone; the thorax. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Com.) A case in which certain goods, as tea, opium, etc., are transported; hence, the quantity which such a case contains. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Mech.) A tight receptacle or box, usually for holding gas, steam, liquids, etc.; as, the steam chest of an engine; the wind chest of an organ. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bomb chest, See under Bomb. --
Chest of drawers, a case or movable frame containing drawers. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Chested. ] 1. To deposit in a chest; to hoard. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To place in a coffin. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He dieth and is chested. Gen. 1. 26 (heading). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. ceást. ] Strife; contention; controversy. [ Obs. ] P. Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having (such) a chest; -- in composition; as, broad-chested; narrow-chested. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a davenport with upright armrests. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a fitted overcoat with a velvet collar. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ See -lite. ] A variety of feldspar found in crystals in the county of Chester, Pennsylvania. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The chestnut tree. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Wilwe, elm, plane, assch, box, chesteyn. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Far.) A rheumatic affection of the muscles of the breast and fore legs of a horse, affecting motion and respiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining of a chestnut; of a reddish brown color; as, chestnut curls. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ For chesten-nut; OE. chestein, chesten, chastein, chestnut, fr. AS. cisten in cistenbeám chestnut tree, influenced by OF. chastaigne, F. châtaigne, both the AS. and the F. words coming from L. castanea a chestnut, Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; a city of Pontus, where chestnut trees grew in abundance, and whence they were introduced into Europe. Cf. Castanets. ] 1. (Bot.) The edible nut of a forest tree (Castanea vesce) of Europe and America. Commonly two or more of the nuts grow in a prickly bur. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The tree itself, or its light, coarse-grained timber, used for ornamental work, furniture, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A bright brown color, like that of the nut. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The horse chestnut (often so used in England). [ 1913 Webster ]

5. One of the round, or oval, horny plates on the inner sides of the legs of the horse, and allied animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. An old joke or story. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Chestnut tree, a tree that bears chestnuts. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. marked by a large or well-developed chest.
Syn. -- big-chested. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance out of overbearing pride; as, chesty as a peacock.
Syn. -- arrogant, self-important. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. the act of grasping.
Syn. -- clasp, clench, clutch, grasp, grip, hold. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. control; power; -- used in the phrase in one's clutches. Same as clutch{ 2 }. [ PJC ]

n. pl.; sing. Comanche /sing>. (Ethnol.) A warlike, savage, and nomadic tribe of the Shoshone family of Indians, inhabiting Mexico and the adjacent parts of the United States; -- called also Paducahs. They are noted for plundering and cruelty. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of epiphytic or terrestrial tropical American orchids.
Syn. -- genus Cycnoches. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. duchesse, fr. duc duke. ] The wife or widow of a duke; also, a lady who has the sovereignty of a duchy in her own right. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ F. ] (Bot.) A variety of pear of large size and excellent flavor. [ 1913 Webster ]

A beautiful variety of Brussels pillow lace made originally in Belgium and resembling Honiton guipure. It is worked with fine thread in large sprays, usually of the primrose pattern, with much raised work. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Bot.), a delicate perennial spring-flowering herb (Dicentra cucullaria) of eastern U.S., having peculiar double-spurred white flowers. See Illust. of Dicentra
Syn. -- Dicentra cucullaria. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

{ , n. [ OF. enchaison, fr. L. incidere to happen; in + cadere to fall. ] Occasion, cause, or reason. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Cf. Inchest. ] To inclose in a chest. Vicars. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Bot.) The large nutlike seed of a species of Aesculus (Aesculus Hippocastanum), formerly ground, and fed to horses, whence the name. The seed is not considered edible by humans. [ wns=2 ] [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (Bot.) The tree itself (Aesculus hippocastanum), which was brought from Constantinople in the beginning of the sixteenth century, and is now common in the temperate zones of both hemispheres; it has palmate leaves and large clusters of white to red flowers followed by brown shiny inedible seeds. The native American species is also called buckeye and conker. [ wns=1 ] [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

‖ ‖/mhw>, n.; pl. Huarachos /plu>. [ Amer. Sp., also guaracha, guarache, huarache, prob. of Mexican origin. ] A kind of low-heeled sandal with the upper consisting of interwoven leather strips; -- usually used in pl. [ Southern U. S. & Mex. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

v. t. To put into a chest. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ OF. lachesse, fr. lache lax, indolent, F. lâche, ultimately fr. L. laxus loose, lax. See Lax. ] (Law) Neglect; negligence; remissness; neglect to do a thing at the proper time; especially, a delay in asserting a claim, sufficient to cause a person to lose the right to adjuducation of the claim by a court. [ 1913 Webster ]

It ill became him to take advantage of such a laches with the eagerness of a shrewd attorney. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A mammal genus comprising the hare wallabies.
Syn. -- genus Lagorchestes. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. sing. & pl. [ It. Lucchese. ] A native or inhabitant of Lucca, in Tuscany; in the plural, the people of Lucca. [ 1913 Webster ]