chymeney
Middle English
FWOTD – 23 May 2020
Alternative forms
- chemyney, chimenai, chimeney, chiminee, chimnay, chymenay, chymenei, chymeneye, chymnay, chymne, chymneth, chymney, chymneye, chymny, kymenay
Etymology
Borrowed from Old French cheminee, from Late Latin camināta. Forms starting with k- are from Old Northern French; forms ending in -th are from early Old French *cheminethe.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌt͡ʃim(i)ˈnɛi̯/, /ˈt͡ʃim(i)nɛi̯/, /-eː/
Noun
chymeney (plural chymeneys)
- A hearth; where a fire is lighted.
- A chimney; a ventilation chamber for smoke.
- a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Osee 13:3”, in Wycliffe's Bible:
- Þerfor þei ſchulen be as a morewtid cloude and as þe deew of morewtid, þat paſſiþ forþ as duſt rauyſchide bi whirlewynd fro þe corn floor and as ſmoke of a chymenei
- And so they will be like the morning cloud, and the dew of the morning which dissipates, as dust lifted by whirlwind from the corn floor, and like the smoke of a chimney.
-
- A device for heating; a stove or furnace.
- (rare, figurative) Something which heats or forges.
- (rare, figurative) Any ventilation chamber.
Descendants
- English: chimney
- Scots: chimley
- Yola: gimlie
- → Welsh: simnai
References
- “chimenẹ̄, -ei, -ai, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-15.