chain
- noun
- /tʃeɪn/
- Archaic
- Now in the old days they would use a knotted rope or a chain with links and you could determine the length of the chain by the number of links.
Examples
-
Distance measuring tools included a surveyor's chain, tape line, and yard measure.
Academic text (2011) -
Anchor: a small anchor with 6 feet of chain and 30 feet or so of line.
Blog text (10) -
Often the building would have just a chain-link fence around it.
-
So you're going to need this chain measurement for all the shirts.
-
The surveyor used a chain to measure the distance from one corner of the field to the other.
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According to the map, the property covers an area of 10 chains in length.
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To accurately complete the land survey, they used a traditional chain that measures 66 feet.
Synonyms
A historical length for measuring land equal to 22 yards
Idioms
Compounds
A system in an organization where instructions move from people at the top to people below
- Specialized
A process in which one nuclear event makes more nuclear events happen, keeping the reaction going
A store that is part of a group owned by the same company and sells the same goods
- Specialized
A series of chemical or nuclear reactions in which one reaction makes the next start
A heavy chain or strong rope that connects a boat to the metal piece that holds it in place
- Texting
An email that asks you to forward it to many people, often with threats or promises
- Specialized
A genetic illness that makes urine smell like maple syrup and can damage the brain in young children
- Archaic
A fast, noisy machine that hits metal letters against paper to make many pages of text
- Specialized
A machine that makes nuclear energy by splitting atoms in a controlled chain reaction
- Specialized
A line of loops made with thread used in embroidery or crochet to make a chain pattern on fabric
- Specialized
A hand tool with a chain loop that grips and turns pipes or other round things
- US
A protective shirt made of small metal rings linked together, worn by knights and soldiers
- Specialized
A fern with long leaves that have chainlike rows of small spore cases underneath
- Specialized
A long series of atoms joined together that forms part of a molecule like in plastic
- Specialized
A very large group of atoms joined together in a long chain like in proteins or plastics
A range of hills in northern England that separates rivers flowing to different coasts
- Archaic
A line of towers with moving shutters that send messages people can see over long distances
- Specialized
A North American plant with chain-like leaves that grows in wetlands and wet woods
Surface Forms
Etymology
Chain comes from the Latin catena 'chain', and a surveyor used a real metal chain 66 feet long to measure land, so that length became known simply as a chain.