chickenpox or varicella \,var-9-'se-l9\ Contagious viral disease pro¬ ducing itchy blisters. It usually occurs in epidemics among young chil¬ dren, causes a low fever, and runs a mild course, leaving patients immune. The blisters can scar if scratched. The virus that causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus) can reactivate years later, causing shingles. Zoster immune globulin (ZIG) can prevent chickenpox in children with leuke¬ mia or immunodeficiency disorders who are exposed to the virus. A vac¬ cine has also been developed.
chickpea or garbanzo Annual legume ( Cicer arietinum) widely grown for its nutritious seeds. The bushy 2-ft (60-cm) plants bear pinnate leaves and small white or reddish flowers. The yellow-brown peas are borne one or two to a pod. Chickpeas are an important food plant in India, Africa, and Central and South America. They are the main ingredient of hummus, a sauce originating in the Middle East. In southern Europe, chickpeas are a common ingredient in soups, salads, and stews. A kind of meal or flour is also made from chickpeas.
chickweed Either of two species of small-leaved weeds, in the pink family. Common chickweed, or stitchwort (■ Stellaria media), is native to Europe but widely naturalized. It usually grows to 18 in. (45 cm) but is a low-growing and spreading annual weed in mowed lawns. Mouse-ear chickweed ( Cerastium vulgatum ), also from Europe, is a usually shorter, mat-forming, spreading perennial with many upright stems. It grows in lawns, pastures, and cultivated fields throughout temperate regions. Both species have inconspicuous but delicate white, star-shaped flowers.
chicory Blue-flowered perennial plant ( Cichorium intybus) of the COM¬ POSITE family. Native to Europe, it was introduced to the U.S. late in the 19th century. Chicory has a long, fleshy taproot; a rigid, branching, hairy stem; and lobed, toothed leaves, similar in appearance to dandelion leaves, around the base. Both roots and leaves are edible. The roots are used as a flavouring in or substitute for coffee. The plant is also grown as a fod¬ der or herbage crop for cattle.
chief justice Presiding judicial officer within any multijudge court. It is the title of the highest judicial officer in any U.S. state, and of the leader of the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. chief justice, like the associate jus¬ tices, is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for a lifetime tenure. The chief justices of some state supreme courts are sub¬ ject to popular election and mandatory retirement ages. Chief justices are normally responsible for the administration of their own court and the preparation of the judiciary’s budget.
chiefdom Type of sociopolitical organization in which political and economic power is exercised by a single person (or group) over many communities. It represents the centralization of power and authority at the expense of local and autonomous groupings. Political authority in chief- doms, such as those found in western Africa or Polynesia, is inseparable from economic power, including the right by rulers to exact tribute and taxation. A principal economic activity of the heads of chiefdoms is to stimulate the production of economic surpluses, which they then redis¬ tribute among their subjects on various occasions. See also sociocultural EVOLUTION.
Chiem Vkem\, Lake German Chiemsee Vkem-,za\ Lake, southern Germany. Located southeast of Munich, it lies 1,699 ft (518 m) above sea level, and drains through the Alz River into the Inn River. At 9 mi (15 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, it is Bavaria’s largest lake. One of its three islands has a Benedictine monastery and a royal castle modeled on the palace at Versailles.
Ch'ien-lung emperor See Qianlong emperor
chigger Larva of some 10,000 mite species, ranging in length from 0.004 to 0.6 in. (0.1-16 mm). Some are terrestrial; others live in freshwater or salt water. They may be predators, scavengers, or plant feeders, and some are pests of humans, either as parasites or as carriers of disease. In North
America, the common chigger that attacks humans is found from the Atlan¬ tic coast to the Midwest and Mexico. The larva penetrates clothing and, once attached to the skin, injects a fluid that digests tissue and causes severe itching. After feeding, the larva drops to the ground and begins to mature.
Chih-i See Zhiyi Chihli See Hebei Chihli, Gulf of See Bo Hai
Chihuahua Smallest recognized dog breed, named for the Mexican state where it was first noted in the mid-19th century. It probably derived from the Techichi, a small, mute dog kept by the Toltec people as long ago as the 9th century. Typically a feisty-looking, alert dog that is stur¬ dier than its small build would suggest, it stands about 5 in. (13 cm) high and weighs 1-6 lb (0.5-2.7 kg). It has a rounded head, large, erect ears, prominent eyes, and a compact body. The coat varies in colour and may be either smooth and glossy or long and soft.
Chihuahua \che-'wa-wa\ State (pop., 2000: 3,052,907), northern Mexico. The country’s largest state, it covers 94,571 sq mi (244,938 sq km) and borders the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. Its capital is Chihuahua city. It consists largely of an elevated plain sloping northward toward the Rio Grande. Its western area is broken by the Sierra Madre Occidental. Chihuahua’s Copper Canyon (Barranca del Cobre) resembles the U.S. Grand Canyon in scale but is almost inaccessible. In Spanish colonial times it was ruled with Durango but was made a separate state in 1823. The state’s principal industry is mining; livestock raising is also important to the economy.
Chihuahua City (pop., 2000: 657,876), capital of Chihuahua state, Mexico. Founded in 1709, it was a prosperous mining centre during the colonial era. It was twice captured by U.S. forces during the Mexican War (1846-48). Now the centre of a cattle-raising area, it has many notewor¬ thy buildings, including the Church of San Francisco, one of the best examples of 18th-century Mexican colonial architecture.
Chikamatsu Monzaemon Vche-'ka-mat-su-mon-'za-a-monV orig. Sugimori Nobumori (b. 1653, Echizen, Japan—d. Jan. 6, 1725, Osaka) Japanese playwright. Born into a samurai family, he was attached to the court aristocracy at Kyoto before moving to Osaka to be near its puppet theatre. He is credited with more than 100 plays, mainly histori¬ cal romances and domestic tragedies, many based on actual incidents. Most were written for the bunraku, which he raised to artistic heights. His most popular work was The Battles of Coxinga (1715), a historical melo¬ drama based on the life of Zheng Chenggong. Also famous is Double Sui¬ cide at Amijima (1720). He is widely regarded as the greatest of Japanese dramatists.
Child, Julia orig. Julia McWilliams (b. Aug. 15, 1912 , Pasadena, Calif., U.S.—d. Aug. 13, 2004, Santa Barbara) U.S. cooking expert and television personality. She lived in Paris after her marriage in 1945, study¬ ing at the Cordon Bleu and with a master chef. After cowriting the best¬ seller Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) and moving to Boston, she created the popular PBS cooking series The French Chef( 1963-73), and later other cooking shows. Through her programs and books, she helped educate the U.S. public about traditional French cuisine and sparked interest in the culinary arts.
Child, Lydia Maria orig. Lydia Maria Francis (b. Feb. 11, 1802, Medford, Mass., U.S.—d. Oct. 20, 1880, Wayland) U.S. abolitionist and author. She was raised in an abolitionist family and was greatly influenced by her brother, a Unitarian clergyman. She wrote historical novels and published a popular manual, The Frugal Housewife (1829). After meet¬ ing William Lloyd Garrison in 1831, she became active in abolitionist work. Her Appeal in Favor of That Class of Americans Called Africans (1833) was widely read and induced many to join the abolitionist cause. From 1841 to 1843 she edited the National Anti-Slavery Standard. Her home was a stage on the Underground Railroad.
child abuse Crime of inflicting physical or emotional injury on a child. The term can denote the use of inordinate physical violence or verbal abuse; the failure to furnish proper shelter, nourishment, medical treat¬ ment, or emotional support; incest, rape, or other instances of sexual moles¬ tation; and the making of child pornography. Child abuse can cause serious harm to its victims. Estimates of the numbers of children who suffer physical abuse or neglect by parents or guardians range from about 1 per¬ cent of all children to about 15 percent, and figures are far higher if emo-