chest

[chest] /tʃɛst/
noun
1.
Anatomy. the trunk of the body from the neck to the abdomen; thorax.
2.
a box, usually with a lid, for storage, safekeeping of valuables, etc.:
a toy chest; a jewelry chest.
3.
the place where the funds of a public institution or charitable organization are kept; treasury; coffer.
4.
the funds themselves.
5.
a box in which certain goods, as tea, are packed for transit.
6.
the quantity contained in such a box:
a chest of spices.
7.
chest of drawers.
8.
a small cabinet, especially one hung on a wall, for storage, as of toiletries and medicines:
a medicine chest.
Idioms
9.
get (something) off one's chest, Informal. to relieve oneself of (problems, troubling thoughts, etc.) by revealing them to someone.
10.
play it close to the chest. vest (def 16).
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English cest, cist < Latin cista < Greek kístē box
Related forms
chestful
[chest-foo l] /ˈtʃɛst fʊl/ (Show IPA), noun
Can be confused
celibate, chased, chaste, chest.
British Dictionary definitions for get off one's chest

chest

/tʃɛst/
noun
1.
  1. the front part of the trunk from the neck to the belly related adjective pectoral
  2. (as modifier): a chest cold
2.
(informal) get something off one's chest, to unburden oneself of troubles, worries, etc, by talking about them
3.
a box, usually large and sturdy, used for storage or shipping: a tea chest
4.
Also chestful. the quantity a chest holds
5.
(rare)
  1. the place in which a public or charitable institution deposits its funds
  2. the funds so deposited
6.
a sealed container or reservoir for a gas: a wind chest, a steam chest
Derived Forms
chested, adjective
Word Origin
Old English cest, from Latin cista wooden box, basket, from Greek kistē box
Word Origin and History for get off one's chest

chest

n.

Old English cest "box, coffer, casket," from Proto-Germanic *kista (cf. Old Norse and Old High German kista, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, German kiste, Dutch kist), an early borrowing from Latin cista "chest, box," from Greek kiste "a box, basket," from PIE *kista "woven container." Meaning extended to "thorax" 1520s, replacing breast (n.), on the metaphor of the ribs as a box for the organs. Chest of drawers is from 1590s.

get off one's chest in Medicine

chest (chěst)
n.
The part of the body between the neck and the abdomen, enclosed by the ribs and the breastbone; thorax.

Slang definitions & phrases for get off one's chest

chest

Related Terms

play close to the chest


get off one's chest in the Bible

(Heb. _'aron_, generally rendered "ark"), the coffer into which the contributions for the repair of the temple were put (2 Kings 12:9, 10; 2 Chr. 24:8, 10, 11). In Gen. 50:26 it is rendered "coffin." In Ezek. 27:24 a different Hebrew word, _genazim_ (plur.), is used. It there means "treasure-chests."

Idioms and Phrases with get off one's chest

get off one's chest

see: off one's chest

chest

see:
Encyclopedia Article for get off one's chest

chest

the earliest form of container for storing clothes, documents, valuables, or other possessions, and the most important piece of furniture in the home until the 18th century. Chests with flat tops were also sometimes used as seats or beds

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