Category:Chamber

Cham"ber, n. Etym: [F. chambre, fr. L. camera vault, arched roof, in LL. chamber, fr. Gr. kmar to be crooked. Cf. Camber, Camera, Comrade.]

1. A retired room, esp. an upper room used for sleeping; a bedroom; as, the house had four chambers.

2. pl.

Defn: Apartments in a lodging house. "A bachelor's life in chambers." Thackeray.

3. A hall, as where a king gives audience, or a deliberative body or assembly meets; as, presence chamber; senate chamber.

4. A legislative or judicial body; an assembly; a society or association; as, the Chamber of Deputies; the Chamber of Commerce.

5. A compartment or cell; an inclosed space or cavity; as, the chamber of a canal lock; the chamber of a furnace; the chamber of the eye.

6. pl. (Law.)

Defn: A room or rooms where a lawyer transacts business; a room or rooms where a judge transacts such official business as may be done out of court.

7. A chamber pot. [Colloq.]

8. (Mil.) (a) That part of the bore of a piece of ordnance which holds the charge, esp. when of different diameter from the rest of the bore; -- formerly, in guns, made smaller than the bore, but now larger, esp. in breech-loading guns. (b) A cavity in a mine, usually of a cubical form, to contain the powder. (c) A short piece of ornance or cannon, which stood on its breech, without any carriage, formerly used chiefly for rejoicings and theatrical cannonades. Air chamber. See Air chamber, in the Vocabulary. -- Chamber of commerce, a board or association to protect the interests of commerce, chosen from among the merchants and traders of a city. -- Chamber council, a secret council. Shak. -- Chamber counsel or counselor, a counselor who gives his opinion in private, or at his chambers, but does not advocate causes in court. -- Chamber fellow, a chamber companion; a roommate; a chum. -- Chamber hangings, tapestry or hangings for a chamber. -- Chamber lye, urine. Shak. -- Chamber music, vocal or instrumental music adapted to performance in a chamber or small apartment or audience room, instead of a theater, concert hall, or chuch. -- Chamber practice (Law.), the practice of counselors at law, who give their opinions in private, but do not appear in court. -- To sit at chambers, to do business in chambers, as a judge.

chamber Cham"ber, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chambered; p. pr. & vb. n. Chambering.]

1. To reside in or occupy a chamber or chambers.

2. To be lascivious. [Obs.]

chamber Cham"ber, v. t.

1. To shut up, as in a chamber. Shak.

2. To furnish with a chamber; as, to chamber a gun.

- ---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Chamber - "On the wall," which the Shunammite prepared for the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4:10), was an upper chamber over the porch through the hall toward the street. This was the "guest chamber" where entertainments were prepared (Mark 14:14). There were also "chambers within chambers" (1 Kings 22:25; 2 Kings 9:2). To enter into a chamber is used metaphorically of prayer and communion with God (Isaiah 26:20). The "chambers of the south" (Job 9:9) are probably the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. The "chambers of imagery", i.e., chambers painted with images, as used by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 8:12), is an expression denoting the vision the prophet had of the abominations practiced by the Jews in Jerusalem.