WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Chim"ney
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [F. chemin?e, LL. caminata, fr. L. caminus furnace, fireplace, Gr.
Definition : 1. A fireplace or hearth. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.

2. That part of a building which contains the smoke flues; esp. an upright tube or flue of brick or stone, in most cases extending through or above the roof of the building. Often used instead of chimney shaft. Hard by a cottage chimney smokes. Milton.

3. A tube usually of glass, placed around a flame, as of a lamp, to create a draft, and promote combustion.

4. (Min.)

Defn: A body of ore, usually of elongated form, extending downward in a vein. Raymond. Chimney board, a board or screen used to close a fireplace; a fireboard. -- Chimney cap, a device to improve the draught of a chimney, by presenting an exit aperture always to leeward. -- Chimney corner, the space between the sides of the fireplace and the fire; hence, the fireside. -- Chimney hook, a hook for holding pats and kettles over a fire, -- Chimney money, hearth money, a duty formerly paid in England for each chimney. -- Chimney pot (Arch.), a cylinder of earthenware or sheet metal placed at the top of a chimney which rises above the roof. -- Chimney swallow. (Zo?l.) (a) An American swift (Ch?ture pelasgica) which lives in chimneys. (b) In England, the common swallow (Hirundo rustica). -- Chimney sweep, Chimney sweeper, one who cleans chimneys of soot; esp. a boy who climbs the flue, and brushes off the soot.

pl. Chimneys.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913