Part 171

Chap"lain (?), n. [F. chapelain, fr. LL. capellanus, fr. capella. See Chapel.] 1. An ecclesiastic who has a chapel, or who performs religious service in a chapel.

2. A clergyman who is officially attached to the army or navy, to some public institution, or to a family or court, for the purpose of performing divine service.

3. Any person (clergyman or layman) chosen to conduct religious exercises for a society, etc.; as, a chaplain of a Masonic or a temperance lodge.

Chap"lain*cy (?), n.; pl. Chaplaincies (&?;). The office, position, or station of a chaplain. Swift.

Chap"lain*ship, n. 1. The office or business of a chaplain.

The Bethesda of some knight's chaplainship. Milton.

2. The possession or revenue of a chapel. Johnson.

Chap"less (?), a. Having no lower jaw; hence, fleshless. [R.] "Yellow, chapless skulls." Shak.

Chap"let (?), n. [F. chapelet, dim. of OF. chapel hat, garland, dim. fr. LL. cappa. See Cap, and cf. Chapelet, Chapeau.] 1. A garland or wreath to be worn on the head.

2. A string of beads, or part of a string, used by Roman Catholic in praying; a third of a rosary, or fifty beads.

Her chaplet of beads and her missal. Longfellow.

3. (Arch.) A small molding, carved into beads, pearls, olives, etc.

4. (Man.) A chapelet. See Chapelet, 1.

5. (Founding) A bent piece of sheet iron, or a pin with thin plates on its ends, for holding a core in place in the mold.

6. A tuft of feathers on a peacock's head. Johnson.

Chap"let, n. A small chapel or shrine.

Chap"let, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chapleted.] To adorn with a chaplet or with flowers. R. Browning.

Chap"man (?), n.; pl. Chapmen (#). [AS. ceßpman; ceßp trade + man man; akin to D. koopman, Sw. k÷pman, Dan. ki÷pmand, G. kaufmann.f. Chap to cheapen, and see Cheap.] 1. One who buys and sells; a merchant; a buyer or a seller. [Obs.]

The word of life is a quick commodity, and ought not, as a drug to be obtruded on those chapmen who are unwilling to buy it. T. Fuller.

2. A peddler; a hawker.

Chap"py (?), Full of chaps; cleft; gaping; open.

Chaps (?), n. pl. The jaws, or the fleshy parts about them. See Chap. "Open your chaps again." Shak.

Chap"ter (?), n. [OF. chapitre, F. chapitre, fr. L. capitulum, dim. of caput head, the chief person or thing, the principal division of a writing, chapter. See Chief, and cf, Chapiter.] 1. A division of a book or treatise; as, Genesis has fifty chapters.

2. (Eccl.) (a) An assembly of monks, or of the prebends and other clergymen connected with a cathedral, conventual, or collegiate church, or of a diocese, usually presided over by the dean.(b) A community of canons or canonesses.(c) A bishop's council.(d) A business meeting of any religious community.

3. An organized branch of some society or fraternity as of the Freemasons. Robertson.

4. A meeting of certain organized societies or orders.

5. A chapter house. [R.] Burrill.

6. A decretal epistle. Ayliffe.