anchor chain
1
3.4
- noun
- /ˈæŋkər tʃeɪn/
:
cadena de ancla
- The crate, thick and knotty, sat open, the hoisting cable and anchor chains curled on the dock planks behind it.
- anchor chain secured to line
Examples
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After all, if a ship is swinging on an anchor chain, the pivot point is the hawse pipe.
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Whose anchor chain is that a-rattling like it's full of rust and roaches?
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We only carry 50 meters of anchor chain.
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Well, then, I'll just go up in the bow and hang off the anchor chain.
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When they reached the ship, Ahl grabbed the anchor chain.
Fiction book (1999) -
These include buoys, fishing nets and floats, anchor chains, oars, and the other incredible flotsam and jetsam associated with commercial fishing.
Academic text (2009) -
We only carry 50 meters of anchor chain.
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The impact registered as a 3.1 on a nearby seismograph, and the wave pushed the boat out to the end of its anchor chain.
Synonyms
184
1.0
A line of metal rings joined together used to fasten or hold things
4
5.0
A rope or chain that holds a boat in place
A rope or chain that connects an anchor to a boat
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'anchor chain' is a straightforward compositional compound whose meaning — the chain used with an anchor — is directly derivable from the constituents 'anchor' and 'chain'. This is a common, literal naming pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Anchor chain is a simple name: a heavy chain fixed to an anchor and to a boat to keep the boat steady. That's why the phrase means 'a heavy chain that connects an anchor to a boat'.