1 N‑COUNT A chapel is a part of a church which has its own altar and which is used for private prayer. □ …the chapel of the Virgin Mary.
2 N‑COUNT A chapel is a small church attached to a hospital, school, or prison. □ [+ of ] We married in the chapel of Charing Cross Hospital in London.
3 N‑VAR A chapel is a building used for worship by members of some Christian churches. Chapel refers to the religious services that take place there. □ …a Methodist chapel. □ On Sundays, the family went three times to chapel.
chap|er|one /ʃæ pəroʊn/ (chaperones , chaperoning , chaperoned ) also chaperon
1 N‑COUNT A chaperone is someone who accompanies another person somewhere in order to make sure that they do not come to any harm.
2 VERB [usu passive] If you are chaperoned by someone, they act as your chaperone. □ [be V -ed] We were chaperoned by our aunt.
chap|lain /tʃæ pl I n/ (chaplains ) N‑COUNT [oft n N ] A chaplain is a member of the Christian clergy who does religious work in a place such as a hospital, school, prison, or in the armed forces. □ He joined the 40th Division as an army chaplain.
chap|lain|cy /tʃæ pl I nsi/ (chaplaincies )
1 N‑COUNT A chaplaincy is the building or office in which a chaplain works.
2 N‑COUNT A chaplaincy is the position or work of a chaplain. □ [+ of ] …the chaplaincy of the Royal Hospital.
chapped /tʃæ pt/ ADJ If your skin is chapped , it is dry, cracked, and sore. □ …chapped hands. □ Her skin felt chapped.
chap|py /tʃæ pi/ (chappies ) N‑COUNT A chappy is the same as a chap . [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ His cheeky chappy image is reinforced by the spiky hair and the wide grin.
chap|ter ◆◆◇ /tʃæ ptə r / (chapters )
1 N‑COUNT A chapter is one of the parts that a book is divided into. Each chapter has a number, and sometimes a title. □ As we shall see in Chapter 9, there is a totally different explanation. □ I took the title of this chapter from one of my favorite books.
2 N‑COUNT [adj N ] A chapter in someone's life or in history is a period of time during which a major event or series of related events takes place. [WRITTEN ] □ [+ in ] This had been a particularly difficult chapter in the country's recent history. □ [+ of ] …one of the most dramatic chapters of recent British politics.
cha p|ter house (chapter houses )
1 N‑COUNT A chapter house is the building or set of rooms in the grounds of a cathedral where the members of the clergy hold their meetings.
2 N‑COUNT In a university or college, a chapter house is the place where a fraternity or sorority lives or meets. [AM ]
char /tʃɑː r / (chars , charring , charred )
1 VERB If food chars or if you char it, it burns slightly and turns black as it is cooking. □ [V ] Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet until the skins char. □ [V n] Halve the peppers and char the skins under a hot grill. ● char|ring N‑UNCOUNT □ The chops should be cooked over moderate heat to prevent excessive charring.
2 → see also charred
chara|banc /ʃæ rəbæŋ/ (charabancs ) N‑COUNT A charabanc is a large old-fashioned coach with several rows of seats. Charabancs were used especially for taking people on trips or on holiday. [BRIT ]
char|ac|ter ◆◆◇ /kæ r I ktə r / (characters )
1 N‑COUNT The character of a person or place consists of all the qualities they have that make them distinct from other people or places. □ Perhaps there is a negative side to his character that you haven't seen yet. □ [+ of ] The character of this country has been formed by immigration.
2 N‑SING [oft in N ] If something has a particular character , it has a particular quality. □ The financial concessions granted to British Aerospace were, he said, of a precarious character. □ The state farms were semi-military in character.
3 N‑SING You can use character to refer to the qualities that people from a particular place are believed to have. □ Individuality is a valued and inherent part of the British character.
4 N‑COUNT [usu adj N ] You use character to say what kind of person someone is. For example, if you say that someone is a strange character , you mean they are strange. □ It's that kind of courage and determination that makes him such a remarkable character. □ What a sad character that Nigel is.
5 N‑VAR Your character is your personality, especially how reliable and honest you are. If someone is of good character , they are reliable and honest. If they are of bad character , they are unreliable and dishonest. □ He's begun a series of personal attacks on my character. □ Mr Bartman was a man of good character.
6 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that someone has character , you mean that they have the ability to deal effectively with difficult, unpleasant, or dangerous situations. [APPROVAL ] □ She showed real character in her attempts to win over the crowd. □ I didn't know Ron had that much strength of character.
7 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that a place has character , you mean that it has an interesting or unusual quality which makes you notice it and like it. [APPROVAL ] □ An ugly shopping centre stands across from one of the few buildings with character.
8 N‑COUNT The characters in a film, book, or play are the people that it is about. □ The film is autobiographical and the central character is played by Collard himself. □ He's made the characters believable.