Chamomile, Camomile

n. [Gr. cham a i melon, earth apple; from chamai, on the ground, and melon, apple; Fr. camomille.] ( Bot.) See AN THEM IS. Cham'ond, (St.,) a town of France, dep. Loire, 8 m. N.E. of St. Etienne. Manuf . Ribbons, laces, iron, nails, . Pop . 17,762. Chamouni, Chamounix, or Chamouny, (shă-moo-nee',) a celebrated valley of the Alps, dep. Haute-Savoie, France, immediately N.W. of Mont Blanc, by which and others of the Pennine Alps it is bounded on its S. and E. sides, and on the W. and N. by Mont Breven and the Aiguilles Ranges. Its length, N.E. to S.W., from the base of the mountains, is about 12 m., and its breadth at the bottom in most parts exceeds a mile; but including the mountain slopes and sides, it is as much as 9 m. broad, and may be reckoned 22 m. long from its head at the Col de Balme to its outlet at the torrent of the Dioza near Servoz. The average height of this valley above the sea is about 3,400 ft.; and the Arve flows through its entire length. It contains the villages of Prieuré (or Chamouni), Argentières, Les Boi ons, . Climate, generally rigorous; but corn, hemp, and some fruits are grown, and the honey is of excellent quality. Pop.about 4,500.- See BLANC, (MONT.) Champ, v . a . [Icel. kampa , to chew, from kiammi , a jaw; kiamt , a motion or moving of the jaws, from the root of chaw .] To bite the bit, as a horse; to bite with repeated action of the teeth. "And champ betwixt their teeth the foaming gold." -Dryden. -To bite into small pieces; as, to champ up the pieces of a tobacco-pipe. -v. i. To masticate; to chew; to bite repeatedly, and with violence. Champ, n . ( Building .) The flat surface of a wall. Champ de Mars, Champ de Mai, ( shawn (g)-demar,) in early French Hist., denoted certain public a emblies of the Franks, which were instituted as early as their conquest of Gaul in the 5th century. At first, these were held annually in the month of March, and were hence called the March - fields ( Champ de Mars ); but in the 8th century, King Pepin transferred the time of meeting to the month of May; whence they were termed May-fields. The first descendants of Capet departed from this usage; but Philip IV. (1285-1314) геstored the third estate by calling together delegates from the cities. - CHAMP DE MARS, a celebrated area 3,280 feet long by 1,640 wide, situated in Paris, between the Ecole Militaire and the Seine, used by the garrison of the French capital for military exercises. It was the scene of many historical events. Here was celebrated, July 14, 1790, the first feast of the French Revolution, the fête de la fédération , which, on the second anniversary, July 14, 1791, was the scene of the dreadful ma acre ordered by the leaders of the constitutional party. Here, in 1867, in 1878, and in 1889, were erected in whole or in part the buildings for the French International Expositions of those years.