Forms: 6–7 chaus, 7 chiause, chiaouse, 7–8 chiaush, 8 chiauss, 7–9 chiaus, chiaux, chiaoux; 9 CHOUSH. [An imperfect adaptation of Turkish chāush (in Pers. chāwush) messenger, herald, lictor, sergeant.
The proper 16–17th c. representation of this word would have been chaush, but app. the nearest approaches made to this were chaus (whence CHOUSE, q.v.) and chiaush; the faults of both forms are combined in the prevailing form chiaus. The erroneous spelling with chi- seems to be borrowed from Fr., where the better 16th c. chaoux has been superseded by chiaoux (occasionally also followed by English writers). The more accurate spelling in modern French is chaouch (see Littré) and in English CHOUSH.]
A Turkish messenger, sergeant or lictor.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. 168. Our Ambassadour sate downe … and the Chaus stood before him.
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., I. ii. (1616), 611. What doe you thinke of me, That I am a Chiause?… doe you thinke I am a Turke?
1624. Massinger, Renegado, III. iv. There’s your beglerbeg, or … your chiaus.
1651. Life Father Sarpi (1676), 18. This Chaus … made no answer.
1653. Greaves, Seraglio, 18. The Chiaush Bashaw … and many Chiaushes … which are imployed in Ambassies, or in ordinary messages.
1666. Oxford Gaz., No. 57/3. Several Chiauses … have been returned with contempt … with their Noses and Ears cut off.
1684. Scanderbeg Rediv., vi. 134. A Turkish Chiaux present in the Polish Court.
1693. Mem. Ct. Teckely, II. 115. Tekeli receiv’d a Chiaous from the Grand Seignior.
1775. R. Chandler, Trav. Asia M. (1825), I. 286. Headed by a chiaush, or the messenger of the aga.
1788. Gibbon, Decl. & F. (1846), V. liii. 246. Chiauss, Dragoman, Domestic.
1813. Byron, Giaour, 570. The Chiaus spake, and as he said, A bullet whistled o’er his head.
1839. G. P. R. James, Louis XIV., IV. 221. They bribed the chiaoux.
