Chaucerism (chaserizm)

[ -ism.] A word or an expre ion peculiar to or characteristic of the writings of Chaucer (about 1340-1400). Thus I should question the employment of such Chau- cerisms, to use Ben Jonson's phrase. Trench, Study of Words, p. 154. chaud-medley (shōd'med"li), n. [Also chaud- melee, chaud-mille; chaude , hot ( cal i- dus : see calid ), + medlee , fight: see medley, mellay, mêlée.] In law , the killing of a man in an affray in the heat of blood or pa ion: a word often erroneously used as synonymous chaud-millet, n. See chaud -medley. E. Phillips , 1706. If Wratthe wrastel with the pore he hath the worse ende; with chance-medley. Mozley and Whitely. For if they bot he pleyne the pore is but fieble, And if he chyde or chatre hym chieuth the worse. Piers Plowman (B), xiv. 226. If a tool for use in a slide rest is too keen for its allotted duty, the only result under ordinary circumstances is, that it will jar or chatter (that is, tremble and cut numerous indentations in the work). J. Rose, Pract. Machinist, p. 152. II. trans. To utter as one who or that which chatters: as, to chatter nonsense. Their service consisted in precipitate and very irreverent chattering of certain Prayers and Hymns to our ble ed Saviour and to the ble ed Virgin. Maundrell , Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 27. Dryden. Your birds of knowledge that, in dusky air, Chatter futurity. chauldron, chawdron, chaundron, chawtherne (not found in ME.), Dan. kallun ), entrails, guts (= Pol. and Little Ru . kaldun (barred 1 ), belly, paunch, =Bohem. kaldoun, entrails, = Croatian kalduni, lungs); perhaps of Celtic origin: cf. W. colud dyn, gut, bowel, coludd, guts, bowels.] Entrails. Add thereto a tiger's chaudron. Shak., Macbeth, iv. 1. Lapet . Sheep-heads will stay with thee? Gal . Yes, sir, or chauldrons . IMG:content-0196.png:[blocks in formation] II. n. A fish of the family Chauliodontida . Jordan and Gilbert.