cham·ber   (chām'bər)    n.   A room in a house, especially a bedroom. A room where a person of authority, rank, or importance receives visitors. chambers A room in which a judge may consult privately with attorneys or hear cases not taken into court. chambers Chiefly British A suite of rooms, especially one used by lawyers. A hall for the meetings of a legislative or other assembly. A legislative or judicial body. A board or council. A place where municipal or state funds are received and held; a treasury. An enclosed space or compartment: the chamber of a pump; a compression chamber. An enclosed space in the body of an organism; a cavity: the four chambers of the heart. A compartment in a firearm, as in the breech of a rifle or the cylinder of a revolver, that holds the cartridge in readiness for firing. An enclosed space in the bore of a gun that holds the charge. A compartment in a firearm, as in the breech of a rifle or the cylinder of a revolver, that holds the cartridge in readiness for firing. An enclosed space in the bore of a gun that holds the charge. tr.v.   cham·bered, cham·ber·ing, cham·bers To put in or as if in a chamber; enclose or confine. To furnish with a chamber. To design or manufacture (a firearm) to hold a specific type of cartridge. [Middle English chaumbre, from Old French chambre, from Late Latin camera, chamber, from Latin, vault, from Greek kamarā.]

Chamber

Cham"ber\, n. [F. chambre, fr. L. camera vault, arched roof, in LL. chamber, fr. Gr. ? anything with a vaulted roof or arched covering; cf. Skr. kmar to be crooked. Cf. Camber, Camera, Comrade.]

1. A retired room, esp. an upper room used for sleeping; a bedroom; as, the house had four chambers.

2. pl. Apartments in a lodging house. "A bachelor's life in chambers." --Thackeray.

3. A hall, as where a king gives audience, or a deliberative body or assembly meets; as, presence chamber; senate chamber.

4. A legislative or judicial body; an assembly; a society or association; as, the Chamber of Deputies; the Chamber of Commerce.

5. A compartment or cell; an inclosed space or cavity; as, the chamber of a canal lock; the chamber of a furnace; the chamber of the eye.

6. pl. (Law.) A room or rooms where a lawyer transacts business; a room or rooms where a judge transacts such official business as may be done out of court.

7. A chamber pot. [Colloq.]

8. (Mil.) (a) That part of the bore of a piece of ordnance which holds the charge, esp. when of different diameter from the rest of the bore; -- formerly, in guns, made smaller than the bore, but now larger, esp. in breech-loading guns. (b) A cavity in a mine, usually of a cubical form, to contain the powder. (c) A short piece of ordnance or cannon, which stood on its breech, without any carriage, formerly used chiefly for rejoicings and theatrical cannonades.

Air chamber. See Air chamber, in the Vocabulary.

Chamber of commerce, a board or association to protect the interests of commerce, chosen from among the merchants and traders of a city.

Chamber council, a secret council. --Shak.

Chamber counsel or counselor, a counselor who gives his opinion in private, or at his chambers, but does not advocate causes in court.

Chamber fellow, a chamber companion; a roommate; a chum.

Chamber hangings, tapestry or hangings for a chamber.

Chamber lye, urine. --Shak.

Chamber music, vocal or instrumental music adapted to performance in a chamber or small apartment or audience room, instead of a theater, concert hall, or church.

Chamber practice (Law.), the practice of counselors at law, who give their opinions in private, but do not appear in court.

To sit at chambers, to do business in chambers, as a judge.

chamber 

Main Entry: cham·ber
Function: noun
1 : a judge's office; specifically : the private office where a judge carries on business other than court sessions (as conferences or signing papers) —usually used in pl. chambers —Railroad H. Bork> chambers>
2 a : a hall for the meetings of a deliberative, legislative, or judicial body or assembly chamber —Tip O'Neill> b : a legislative or judicial body : HOUSE chamber of Congress —U.S. Code>

Main Entry: cham·ber
Pronunciation: 'chAm-b&r
Function: noun
: an enclosed space within the body of an animal —see ANTERIOR CHAMBER, POSTERIOR CHAMBER

chamber cham·ber (chām'bər)
n.
A compartment or enclosed space.

Chamber

"on the wall," which the Shunammite prepared for the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4:10), was an upper chamber over the porch through the hall toward the street. This was the "guest chamber" where entertainments were prepared (Mark 14:14). There were also "chambers within chambers" (1 Kings 22:25; 2 Kings 9:2). To enter into a chamber is used metaphorically of prayer and communion with God (Isa. 26:20). The "chambers of the south" (Job 9:9) are probably the constelations of the southern hemisphere. The "chambers of imagery", i.e., chambers painted with images, as used by Ezekiel (8:12), is an expression denoting the vision the prophet had of the abominations practised by the Jews in Jerusalem.