| exchange | 1. To part with give, or transfer to another in consideration of something received as an equivalent; usually followed by for before the thing received. "Exchange his sheep for shells, or wool for a sparking pebble or a diamond." (Locke) 2. To part with for a substitute; to lay aside, quit, or resign (something being received in place of the thing with); as, to exchange a palace for cell. "And death for life exchanged foolishly." (Spenser) "To shift his being Is to exchange one misery with another." (Shak) 3. To give and receive reciprocally, as things of the same kind; to barter; to swap; as, to exchange horses with a neighbor; to exchange houses or hats. "Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet." (Shak) Synonym: To barter, change, commute, interchange, bargain, truck, swap, traffic. Origin: Cf.OF. Eschangier, F. Echanger. See Exchange. 1. The act of giving or taking one thing in return for another which is regarded as an equivalent; as, an exchange of cattle for grain. 2. The act of substituting one thing in the place of another; as, an exchange of grief for joy, or of a scepter for a sword, and the like; also, the act of giving and receiving reciprocally; as, an exchange of civilities or views. 3. The thing given or received in return; especially, a publication exchanged for another. 4. The process of setting accounts or debts between parties residing at a distance from each other, without the intervention of money, by exchanging orders or drafts, called bills of exchange. These may be drawn in one country and payable in another, in which case they are called foreign bills; or they may be drawn and made payable in the same country, in which case they are called inland bills. The term bill of exchange is often abbreviated into exchange; as, to buy or sell exchange. A in London is creditor to B in new York, and C in London owes D in New York a like sum. A in London draws a bill of exchange on B in New York; C in London purchases the bill, by which A receives his debt due from B in New York. C transmits the bill to D in New York, who receives the amount from B. 5. A mutual grant of equal interests, the one in consideration of the other. Estates exchanged must be equal in quantity, as fee simple for fee simple. 6. The place where the merchants, brokers, and bankers of a city meet at certain hours, to transact business. In this sense often contracted to 'Change. Arbitration of exchange. See Arbitration. Bill of exchange. See Bill. Exchange broker. See Broker. Par of exchange, the established value of the coin or standard of value of one country when expressed in the coin or standard of another, as the value of the pound sterling in the currency of France or the United States. The par of exchange rarely varies, and serves as a measure for the rise and fall of exchange that is affected by the demand and supply. Exchange is at par when, for example, a bill in new York, for the payment of one hundred pounds sterling in London, can be purchased for the sum. Exchange is in favor of a place when it can be purchased there at or above par. Telephone exchange, a central office in which the wires of any two telephones or telephone stations may be connected to permit conversation. Synonym: Barter, dealing, trade, traffic, interchange. Origin: OE. Eschange, eschaunge, OF. Eschange, fr. Eschangier, F. Echanger, to exchange; pref. Ex- out + F. Changer. See Change, and cf. Excamb. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| exchange transfusion | Removal of most of a patient's blood followed by introduction of an equal amount from donors. Synonym: exsanguination transfusion, substitution transfusion, total transfusion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| exchange transfusion, whole blood | Repetitive withdrawal of small amounts of blood and replacement with donor blood until a large proportion of the blood volume has been exchanged. Used in treatment of foetal erythroblastosis, hepatic coma, sickle cell anaemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, septicaemia, burns, thrombotic thrombopenic purpura, and fulminant malaria. (12 Dec 1998) |
| exchequer | 1. One of the superior courts of law; so called from a checkered cloth, which covers, or formerly covered, the table. The exchequer was a court of law and equity. In the revenue department, it had jurisdiction over the proprietary rights of the crown against subjects; in the common law department, it administered justice in personal actions between subject and subject. A person proceeding against another in the revenue department was said to exchequer him. The judges of this court were one chief and four puisne barons, so styled. The Court of Exchequer Chamber sat as court of error in which the judgments of each of the superior courts of common law, in England, were subject to revision by the judges of the other two sitting collectively. Causes involving difficult questions of law were sometimes after argument, adjourned into this court from the other courts, for debate before judgment in the court below. Recent legislation in England (1880) has abolished the Court of Exchequer and the Court of Exchequer Chamber, as distinct tribunals, a single board of judiciary, the High Court of Justice, being established for the trial of all classes of civil cases. 2. The department of state having charge of the collection and management of the royal revenue. Hence, the treasury; and, colloquially, pecuniary possessions in general; as, the company's exchequer is low. Barons of the exchequer. See Baron. Chancellor of the exchequer. See Chancellor. <engineering> Exchequer bills or bonds, bills of money, or promissory bills, issued from the exchequer by authority of Parliament; a species of paper currency emitted under the authority of the government, and bearing interest. Origin: OE. Escheker, OF. Eichekier, fr. LL. Scaccarium. See Checker, Chess, Check. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |