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 chimenee~cheminee, from Late Latin camīnāta. Forms starting with k- are from Old Northern French; forms ending in -th are from early Old French *cheminethe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌt͡ʃim(i)ˈnæi̯/, /ˈt͡ʃim(i)næi̯/, /-eː/

Noun

chymeney (plural chymeneys)

1. A hearth; where a fire is lighted.
2. 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.

3. A device for heating; a stove or furnace.
4. (rare, figurative) Something which heats or forges.
5. (rare, figurative) Any ventilation chamber.

Descendants

• English: chimney
• Scots: chimley, chimlie
• Yola: gimlie
• → Welsh: simnai

References

• “chimenẹ̄, -ei, -ai, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-15.