Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A unit of dry measure formerly used in England, equal to 4 quarters or about 32 bushels for grain and 36 bushels for coal.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A measure of coals, etc., equal, by a statute of Charles II., to 36 coal bushels, or 25½ hundredweight, but customarily in England to 32 heaped bushels. The Newcastle chaldron is 52½ or 53 hundredweight. In American ports the weight is very various, but the ordinary weight in the United States is 26¼ hundredweight.
- n. See chaudron.
Wiktionary
- n. archaic An old English dry measure, containing four quarters. At London, 36 bushels heaped up, or its equivalent weight, and more than twice as much at Newcastle. Now used exclusively for coal and coke.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An English dry measure, being, at London, 36 bushels heaped up, or its equivalent weight, and more than twice as much at Newcastle. Now used exclusively for coal and coke.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 36 bushels
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old French chauderon, augmentative of chaudiere, kettle, from Late Latin caldāria; see cauldron. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“It's a place where a chaldron is a ceramic object of mystic power, not a volumetric measure of coal.”
“He took part in the contest, and in spite of his early reputation, was spelled down on the word "chaldron," which he spelled”
“Another hostile writer compared them to “the witches in Macbeth, dancing round the chaldron of sedition, each throwing in his proportion of spells, for the confusion of his country.””
“Company and could supply his friends and the public with the best coals at — s. per chaldron.”
“He took part in the contest, and in spite of his early reputation, was spelled down on the word “chaldron,” which he spelled “cauldron,” as he had been taught, while the dictionary used as authority gave that form as second choice.”
“In the town of Ipswich the masters of these ships generally dwelt, and there were, as they then told me, above a hundred sail of them, belonging to the town at one time, the least of which carried fifteen score, as they compute it, that is, 300 chaldron of coals; this was about the year 1668 (when I first knew the place).”
“Ribston, for 13s. 6d. per chaldron, a circumstance not unlikely to make it in great demand, whenever its properties are known for agricultural purposes.”
“The reader will be best able to calculate the expense of this lime to the consumer, when he is informed that the cost at the kilns is 12s. per chaldron of 32 bushels Winchester, one of which weighs 7st. 8lb.”
“Wherein there is little doubt but a saving of eight shillings per chaldron will, on the completion of the work, be effected -- a most material object for the poor, and the general benefit of commerce.”
“From good authority we are informed that Kippax and Haigh-Moor coals can be delivered at Bolton-Percy for ten shillings per chaldron, or 8s. to 8s”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘chaldron’.
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phrontistery - c
from phrontistery.info
caballine, cabas, cable, caboched, cabochon, caboose, cabotage, cabré, cabrie, cabriole, cabriolet, cacaesthesia and 1298 more...
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English Weights and Measures
Most of these are names of weights and measures in use before 1500, gleaned from household accounts of English estates and colleges.
pondus, clove, wey, charrus, pisa, sum, seam, petra, fatt, peck, quarter, skep and 49 more...
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wreckingball's Words
reprehensible, problematize, crepuscular, deleterious, pestilent, strumpet, draggletail, interrobang, meretricious, systematize, schadenfreude, capricious and 443 more...
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sionnach's Words
contumely, fomite, holmgang, poltroon, eleemosynary, obsidian, nugatory, grindcore, felch, recrudescent, pyx, parenteral and 3271 more...
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