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CHALLENGE

 - 7 dictionary results

chal⋅lenge

[chal-inj] noun, verb, -lenged, -leng⋅ing, adjective
–noun
1. a call or summons to engage in any contest, as of skill, strength, etc.
2. something that by its nature or character serves as a call to battle, contest, special effort, etc.: Space exploration offers a challenge to humankind.
3. a call to fight, as a battle, a duel, etc.
4. a demand to explain, justify, etc.: a challenge to the treasurer to itemize expenditures.
5. difficulty in a job or undertaking that is stimulating to one engaged in it.
6. Military. the demand of a sentry for identification or a countersign.
7. Law. a formal objection to the qualifications of a particular juror, to his or her serving, or to the legality of an entire jury. Compare peremptory challenge.
8. the assertion that a vote is invalid or that a voter is not legally qualified.
9. Biology. the process of inducing or assessing physiological or immunological activity by exposing an organism to a specific substance.
10. Hunting. the crying of a hound on finding a scent.
–verb (used with object)
11. to summon to a contest of skill, strength, etc.
12. to take exception to; call in question: to challenge the wisdom of a procedure.
13. to demand as something due or rightful.
14. Military. to halt and demand identification or countersign from.
15. Law. to take formal exception to (a juror or jury).
16. to have a claim to; invite; arouse; stimulate: a matter which challenges attention.
17. to assert that (a vote) is invalid.
18. to assert that (a voter) is not qualified to vote.
19. to expose an organism to a specific substance in order to assess its physiological or immunological activity.
20. Archaic. to lay claim to.
–verb (used without object)
21. to make or issue a challenge.
22. Hunting. (of hounds) to cry or give tongue on picking up the scent.
–adjective
23. donated or given by a private, corporate, or government benefactor on condition that the recipient raise an additional specified amount from the public: a challenge grant.

Origin:
1175–1225; ME chalenge < OF, var. of chalonge < L calumnia calumny


chal⋅lenge⋅a⋅ble, adjective


11. dare, bid, invite. 12. question, impute, doubt.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To CHALLENGE
chal·lenge   (chāl'ənj)   
n.  
    1. A call to engage in a contest, fight, or competition: a challenge to a duel.

    2. An act or statement of defiance; a call to confrontation: a challenge to the government's authority.

  1. A demand for explanation or justification; a calling into question: a challenge to a theory.

  2. A sentry's call to an unknown party for proper identification.

  3. A test of one's abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking: a career that offers a challenge.

  4. A claim that a vote is invalid or that a voter is unqualified.

  5. Law A formal objection to the inclusion of a prospective juror in a jury.

  6. Immunology The induction or evaluation of an immune response in an organism by administration of a specific antigen to which it has been sensitized.

v.   chal·lenged, chal·leng·ing, chal·leng·es

v.   tr.
    1. To call to engage in a contest, fight, or competition: challenged me to a game of chess.

    2. To invite with defiance; dare: challenged him to contradict her. See Synonyms at defy.

  1. To take exception to; call into question; dispute: a book that challenges established beliefs.

  2. To order to halt and be identified, as by a sentry.

  3. Law To take formal objection to (a prospective juror).

  4. To question the qualifications of (a voter) or validity of (a vote).

  5. To have due claim to; call for: events that challenge our attention.

  6. To summon to action, effort, or use; stimulate: a problem that challenges the imagination.

  7. Immunology To induce or evaluate an immune response in (an organism) by administering a specific antigen to which it has been sensitized.

v.   intr.
  1. To make or give voice to a challenge.

  2. To begin barking upon picking up the scent. Used of hunting dogs.


[Middle English chalenge, from Old French, from Latin calumnia, trickery, false accusation; see calumny. V., from Middle English chalengen, from Old French chalangier, from Latin calumniārī, from calumnia.]
chal'lenge·a·ble adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

challenge 
1292, from O.Fr. chalenge "accusation, claim, dispute," from L. calumnia "trickery" (see calumny). Accusatory connotations died out 17c. Meaning "a calling to fight" is from 1530. Challenged as a euphemism for "disabled" dates from 1985.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: chal·lenge
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: chal·lenged; chal·leng·ing
1 : to dispute esp. as being invalid or unjust challenged this interpretation>
2 : to question formally (as by a suit or motion) the legality or legal qualifications of <challenge the regulations>; especially : to make a challenge to (a trier of fact) challenging prospective jurors —W. Railroad LaFave and A. W. Scott, Junior> —compare RECUSE

Main Entry: challenge
Function: noun
1 : a calling into question; especially : a questioning of validity or legality : OBJECTION challenge to the statute is in effect a challenge of this basic assumption —Kramer v. Union Free School Dist. Number 15, 395 U.S. 621 (1969)> —see also BATSON CHALLENGE
2 : a request to disqualify a trier of fact (as a jury member or judge) —compare RECUSAL, STRIKE
challenge for cause
: a challenge esp. of a prospective juror based on a specific and stated cause or reason
challenge to the array
: a challenge of an entire jury that raises objections to the selection process
peremptory challenge
: a challenge esp. of a prospective juror that does not require a stated cause or reason
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1chal·lenge
Pronunciation: 'chal-&nj
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: chal·lenged;chal·leng·ing
: to administer a physiological and especially an immunologic challenge to (an organism or cell)

Main Entry: 2challenge
Function: noun
: the process of provoking or testing physiological activity by exposure to a specific substance; especially : a test of immunity by exposure to an antigen after immunization against it
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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