A wooden molding or frame around a fireplace opening or hearth area; an ornamental trim piece.
Possibly from 'chant' combined with 'late' (a lath or thin strip of wood), though the etymology is uncertain. It may be a variant of 'channelate' (grooved), referring to the grooved or shaped wood framing.
This is one of those delightfully obscure architectural terms that used to be common among craftspeople but almost disappeared—it reminds us that every profession had its own rich vocabulary that's vanishing as the trades themselves change!
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