ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
1. : work with a checkered pattern : work marked by checks : checkered design
a checkerwork of light and shadow
2. : sequence of changing fortune : vicissitude
the checkerwork of our lives
3. : a structure of firebrick (as in a regenerative furnace) built so that the bricks alternate with open spaces permitting the passage of gases which give heat to or receive heat from the firebrick