chain
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈt͡ʃeɪn/
rhymes: -eɪn
Forms: form: chains
Etymology: From Middle English cheyne, chaine, from Old French chaine, chaene (“chain”), from Latin catēna (“chain”), from Proto-Indo-European *kat- (“to braid, twist; hut, shed”). Doublet of catena. Displaced native Middle English rakil and rakent (from Old English racente (“chain”)); see rackan.
Senses: examples: text: He wore a gold chain around the neck.
text: The anchor is connected to the boat with a 100-metre long chain.
glosses: A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
examples: text: a chain of mountains
text: a chain of ideas, one leading to the next
text: This led to an unfortunate chain of events.
glosses: A series of interconnected things.
examples: text: That chain of restaurants is expanding into our town.
glosses: A series of stores or businesses with the same brand name.
examples: text: side chain
text: When examined, the molecular chain included oxygen and hydrogen.
topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
organic-chemistry
physical-sciences
glosses: A number of atoms in a series, which combine to form a molecule.
topics: geography
natural-sciences
surveying
glosses: A series of interconnected links of known length, used as a measuring device.
topics: geography
natural-sciences
surveying
glosses: A long measuring tape.
examples: text: "But it's too far—must be a quarter of a mile—and I've a portmanteau to carry." […]
"Garn!" shouted the guard. "Taint ten chain. […]"
ref: 1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter X, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 177:
glosses: A unit of length, exactly equal to 22 yards, which is 4 rods or 100 links, and approximately equal to 20.12 metres; the length of a Gunter's surveying chain; the length of a cricket pitch.
examples: text: We first find an approximation of the chain partition, i.e. a small but not minimum size set of chains which cover all elements of the poset.
ref: 2003, Jeremy P. Spinrad, Efficient Graph Representations, American Mathematical Society, page 108:
topics: mathematics
order-theory
sciences
set-theory
glosses: A totally ordered set, especially a totally ordered subset of a poset.
topics: algebraic-topology
mathematics
sciences
topology
qualifier: originally
glosses: A formal sum of cells in a CW complex of a certain dimension k (in which case the formal sums are called k'''-chains); a formal sum of simplices or cubes of a certain dimension in a simplical complex or cubical complex (respectively).
topics: algebraic-topology
mathematics
sciences
topology
qualifier: homological algebra
glosses: An element of a group (or module) in a chain complex.
glosses: A sequence of linked house purchases, each of which is dependent on the preceding and succeeding purchase (said to be "broken" if a buyer or seller pulls out).
examples: text: the chains of habit
text: Driven down / To chains of darkness and the undying worm.
ref: 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
glosses: That which confines, fetters, or secures; a bond.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: Iron links bolted to the side of a vessel to bold the dead-eyes connected with the shrouds; also, the channels.
examples: text: And gainſt the General we will lift our ſwords
And either lanch his greedie thirſting throat,
Or take him priſoner, and his chaine ſhall ſerue
For Manackles, till he be ranſom’d home.
ref: c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
glosses: A livery collar, a chain of office.
topics: business
manufacturing
textiles
weaving
glosses: The warp threads of a web.
Synonyms: sense: series of interconnected rings or links
word: rackle
Hyponyms: Albert chain
bra chain
daisy chain
food chain
green chain
Gunter's Chain
hogchain
keychain
key chain
Markov chain
megachain
mountain chain
retail chain
side chain
sidechain
signifying chain
snow chain
subchain
supply chain
timing chain
waist chain
Derived terms: academy chain
a chain is only as strong as its weakest link
airchain
air chain
antichain
ascending chain condition
backchain
ball and chain
ball chain
belly chain
beta chain
block chain
blockchain
branched-chain
brequet chain
catena
chainable
chainage
chain armour
chain binder
chain boat
chainbolt
chain bridge
chain cable
chain-cable
chain case
chaincase
chain code
chain complex
chain conveyor
chain dance
chain drill
chain drive
chain-driven
chainer
chainfall
chain fern
chain ferry
chain gang
chain-ganger
chain group
chain growth polymerization
chainguard
chain guard
chain gun
chain hobble
chain-ladder method
chainless
chainlet
chain letter
chain-light
chain lightning
chainlike
chainlink
chain-link
chainlink fence
chain locker
chain mail
chain-mail
chainmail
chainmaking
chainman
chain map
chain-melted
chain-melted state
chain migration
chain of command
chain of custody
chain of events
chain of production
chain-of-responsibility pattern
chain of thought
chain of title
chain pickerel
chain pier
chain pipe
chainplate
chain pump
chain reaction
chainring
chain rule
chain saw
chainsaw
chainset
chain shift
chain shot
chain-shot
chain sickle
chain silicate
chain sinnet
chain slap
chainsmith
chain-smoke
chain smoke
chain-smoker
chain smoker
chain smoking
chainsmoking
chain-smoking
chain-snatch
chainsorter
chain stay
chainstay
chainsticks
chain stitch
chain store
chain story
chain suck
chain tie
chain tower
chain viper
chainwale
chainwheel
chain whip
chainwide
chainwise
chainwork
chainworks
choke chain
choker chain
cochain
cold chain
cool chain
cross-chain
crotch chain
Cunningham chain
curb chain
daisy-chain
decay chain
descending chain condition
dialect chain
discrete-time Markov chain
door chain
drag-chain
drag the chain
drowning chain
enchain
endless chain
engineer's chain
First Island Chain
first island chain
forechain
glycochain
golden chain
golden-chain
golden-chain tree
golden chain tree
great chain of being
Gunter's chain
heterochain
hill chain
hobble-chain
hobble chain
hog chain
hogchain
homochain
human chain
interchain
intrachain
island chain
jack chain
jerk someone's chain
keychain
kill chain
ladies' chain
let fluffy off the chain
light chain
long-chain
mainchain
measuring chain
medium-chain
medium-chain triglyceride
megachain
midchain
minichain
multichain
nanochain
netted chain fern
nonchain
off-chain
off the chain
on-chain
open-chain
paper chain
pawn chain
peptide chain
pole-chain
pole chain
polymerase chain reaction
polypeptide chain
power chain
protein chain
pull someone's chain
rattle someone's chain
rechain
roller chain
safety chain
seamount chain
second island chain
Second Island Chain
security chain
short-chain
sidechain
single-chain
slave chain
straight chain
straight-chain
subchain
supply chain visibility
swap chain
sympathetic chain
Third Island Chain
third island chain
tire chain
toolchain
top-chain
tyre chain
value chain
very-long-chain
very long-chain
watchchain
watch chain
word chain
yank someone's chain