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Whether; -- in dependent questions. Uncertain if by augury or chance. Dryden. She doubts if two and two make four. Prior. As if, But if. See under As, But.

iable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining. All chances incident to man's frail life. Milton. The studies incident to his profession. Milward.

hat which taints or corrupts morally; as, the infection of vicious principles. It was her chance to light Amidst the gross infections of those times. Daniel.

The act or process of inferring by deduction or induction. Though it may chance to be right in the conclusions, it is yet unjust and mistaken in the method of inference. Glanvill.

Unlucky; unfortunate. [Obs.] Shak. "A most infortynate chance." Howell. - In*for"tu*nate*ly, adv. [Obs.]

ldings) in London, for students of the law barristers; as, the Inns of Court; the Inns of Chancery; Serjeants' Inns. Inns of chancery (Eng.), colleges in which young students formerly began their law studies, now occupied chiefly by attorneys, solicitors, etc. -- Inns of court (Eng.), the four societies of "students a…

Deviating from that which is customary; novel; strange; unusual. [Obs.] If one chance to derive any word from the Latin which is insolent to their ears . . . they forth with make a jest at it. Petti If any should accuse me of being new or insolent. Milton.

the court of session, having the like purpose and effect with a writ of injunction out of chancery in England and America.

A piece of chance or occasional work; any definite work undertaken in gross for a fixed price; as, he did the job for a thousand dollars.

Doing chance work or add jobs; as, a jobbing carpenter.

chancel screen or rood screen.

to; hence, fig., to accept suddenly or eagerly; as, a fish jumps at a bait; to jump at a chance.

The memorandum or certificate at the end of an asffidavit, or a bill or answer in chancery, showing when, before whom, and (in English practice), where, it was sworn or affirmed. Wharton. Bouvier.

r of state, who has custody of the great seal. The office is now united with that of lord chancellor. [Eng.] -- Keeper of the King's conscience, the lord chancellor; -- a name given when the chancellor was an ecclesiastic. [Eng.] -- Keeper of the privy seal (styled also lord privy seal), a high officer of state, throug…

To destroy; to ruin; as, to kill one's chances; to kill the sale of a book. "To kill thine honor." Shak. Her lively color kill'd with deadly cares. Shak.

year of a century; the last man in a line of soldiers; the last page in a book; his last chance. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. Neh. viii. 18. Fairest of stars, last in the train of night. Milton.

The homeless idlers of Naples who live by chance work or begging; -- so called from the Hospital of St. Lazarus, which serves as their refuge. [Written also, but improperly, lazaroni.]

To come by chance; to happen; -- with on or upon; formerly with into. The several degrees of vision, which the assistance of glasses (casually at first lit on) has taught us to conceive. Locke. They shall light into atheistical company. South. And here we lit on Aunt Elizabeth, And Lilia with the rest. Tennyson.…

To entangle; to insnare. We had limed ourselves With open eyes, and we must take the chance. Tennyson.

iefly used in the plural. Now we are to consider that our bright ideal of a literatus may chance to be maimed. De Quincey.