a cut that is made in wood or some other material, usually at a 45° angle to the adjacent principal faces. Compare bevel.
–verb (used with object)
2.
to make a chamfer on or in.
Origin: 1595–1605; back formation from chamfering (taken as chamfer + -ing1) < MF chamfrein, var. of chanfreint beveled edge, orig. ptp. of chanfraindre to bevel, equiv. to chant edge (< L canthus;see cant2) + fraindre to break < L frangere;see frangible
A flat surface made by cutting off the edge or corner of a block of wood or other material.
A furrow or groove, as in a column.
[Probably back-formation from chamfering, from French chanfrein, bevelled edge, from past participle of Old French chanfreindre, to bevel : chant, edge (from Latin canthus, iron tire; see cant1) + fraindre, to break (from Latin frangere; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots).]
[cham-fer] 
fər