An archaic or variant spelling of chert, a hard siliceous rock.
Middle English variant of 'chert,' reflecting older spelling conventions. The '-e' ending was common in Middle English for nouns, gradually dropping away as English spelling standardized in the 15th-17th centuries.
The spelling variation 'cherte' shows how English wasn't standardized until printing presses became widespread—before that, people spelled words phonetically, giving us fascinating glimpses into how words actually sounded in medieval England.
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