chain
(noun) a series of (usually metal) rings or links fitted into one another to make a flexible ligament
chain, string, strand
(noun) a necklace made by stringing objects together; “a string of beads”; “a strand of pearls”
chain
(noun) anything that acts as a restraint
chain
(noun) a linked or connected series of objects; “a chain of daisies”
chain
(noun) (business) a number of similar establishments (stores or restaurants or banks or hotels or theaters) under one ownership
chain, concatenation
(noun) a series of things depending on each other as if linked together; “the chain of command”; “a complicated concatenation of circumstances”
chain, chemical chain
(noun) (chemistry) a series of linked atoms (generally in an organic molecule)
range, mountain range, range of mountains, chain, mountain chain, chain of mountains
(noun) a series of hills or mountains; “the valley was between two ranges of hills”; “the plains lay just beyond the mountain range”
Chain, Ernst Boris Chain, Sir Ernst Boris Chain
(noun) British biochemist (born in Germany) who isolated and purified penicillin, which had been discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming (1906-1979)
chain
(noun) a unit of length
chain
(verb) fasten or secure with chains; “Chain the chairs together”
chain
(verb) connect or arrange into a chain by linking
Source: WordNet® 3.1
chain (plural chains)
A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
A series of interconnected things.
A series of stores or businesses with the same brand name.
(chemistry) A number of atoms in a series, which combine to form a molecule.
(surveying) A series of interconnected links of known length, used as a measuring device.
(surveying) A long measuring tape.
A unit of length equal to 22 yards. The length of a Gunter's surveying chain. The length of a cricket pitch. Equal to 20.12 metres, 4 rods, or 100 links.
(mathematics, set theory, order theory) A totally ordered set, especially a totally ordered subset of a poset.
(British) 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).
That which confines, fetters, or secures; a bond.
(nautical, in the plural) Iron links bolted to the side of a vessel to bold the dead-eyes connected with the shrouds; also, the channels.
(weaving) The warp threads of a web.
• (series of interconnected rings or links): rackle
• (series of interconnected things): See also sequence
• Albert chain
• bra chain
• daisy chain
• food chain
• green chain
• Gunter's Chain
• hogchain
• key chain
• keychain
• Markov chain
• megachain
• mountain chain
• retail chain
• side chain
• sidechain
• signifying chain
• snow chain
• subchain
• supply chain
• timing chain
• waist chain
chain (third-person singular simple present chains, present participle chaining, simple past and past participle chained)
(transitive) To fasten something with a chain.
(intransitive) To link multiple items together.
(transitive) To secure someone with fetters.
(transitive) To obstruct the mouth of a river etc with a chain.
(figurative) To obligate.
(computing) To relate data items with a chain of pointers.
(computing) To be chained to another data item.
(transitive) To measure a distance using a 66-foot long chain, as in land surveying.
(transitive, computing, rare, associated with Acorn Computers) To load and automatically run (a program).
• Anich, Chian, China, china
Chain (plural Chains)
A surname.
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Chain is the 19559th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1380 individuals. Chain is most common among White (79.2%) individuals.
• Anich, Chian, China, china
Source: Wiktionary
Chain, n. Etym: [F. chaîne, fr. L. catena. Cf. Catenate.]
1. A series of links or rings, usually of metal, connected, or fitted into one another, used for various purposes, as of support, of restraint, of ornament, of the exertion and transmission of mechanical power, etc. [They] put a chain of gold about his neck. Dan. v. 29.
2. That which confines, fetters, or secures, as a chain; a bond; as, the chains of habit. Driven down To chains of darkness and the undying worm. Milton.
3. A series of things linked together; or a series of things connected and following each other in succession; as, a chain of mountains; a chain of events or ideas.
4. (Surv.)
Definition: An instrument which consists of links and is used in measuring land.
Note: One commonly in use is Gunter's chain, which consists of one hundred links, each link being seven inches and ninety-two one hundredths in length; making up the total length of rods, or sixty- six, feet; hence, a measure of that length; hence, also, a unit for land measure equal to four rods square, or one tenth of an acre.
5. pl. (Naut.)
Definition: Iron links bolted to the side of a vessel to bold the dead-eyes connected with the shrouds; also, the channels.
6. (Weaving)
Definition: The warp threads of a web. Knight. Chain belt (Mach.), a belt made of a chain; -- used for transmitting power.
– Chain boat, a boat fitted up for recovering lost cables, anchors, etc.
– Chain bolt (a) (Naut.) The bolt at the lower end of the chain plate, which fastens it to the vessel's side. (b) A bolt with a chain attached for drawing it out of position.
– Chain bond. See Chain timber.
– Chain bridge, a bridge supported by chain cables; a suspension bridge.
– Chain cable, a cable made of iron links.
– Chain coral (Zoöl.), a fossil coral of the genus Halysites, common in the middle and upper Silurian rocks. The tubular corallites are united side by side in groups, looking in an end view like links of a chain. When perfect, the calicles show twelve septa.
– Chain coupling. (a) A shackle for uniting lengths of chain, or connecting a chain with an object. (b) (Railroad) Supplementary coupling together of cars with a chain.
– Chain gang, a gang of convicts chained together.
– Chain hook (Naut.), a hook, used for dragging cables about the deck.
– Chain mail, flexible, defensive armor of hammered metal links wrought into the form of a garment.
– Chain molding (Arch.), a form of molding in imitation of a chain, used in the Normal style.
– Chain pier, a pier suspended by chain.
– Chain pipe (Naut.), an opening in the deck, lined with iron, through which the cable is passed into the lockers or tiers.
– Chain plate (Shipbuilding), one of the iron plates or bands, on a vessel's side, to which the standing rigging is fastened.
– Chain pulley, a pulley with depressions in the periphery of its wheel, or projections from it, made to fit the links of a chain.
– Chain pumps. See in the Vocabulary.
– Chain rule (Arith.), a theorem for solving numerical problems by composition of ratios, or compound proportion, by which, when several ratios of equality are given, the consequent of each being the same as the antecedent of the next, the relation between the first antecedent and the last consequent is discovered.
– Chain shot (Mil.), two cannon balls united by a shot chain, formerly used in naval warfare on account of their destructive effect on a ship's rigging.
– Chain stitch. See in the Vocabulary.
– Chain timber. (Arch.) See Bond timber, under Bond.
– Chain wales. (Naut.) Same as Channels.
– Chain wheel. See in the Vocabulary.
– Closed chain, Open chain (Chem.), terms applied to the chemical structure of compounds whose rational formulæ are written respectively in the form of a closed ring (see Benzene nucleus, under Benzene), or in an open extended form.
– Endless chain, a chain whose ends have been united by a link.
Chain, v. t. [imp. p. p. Chained (chand); p. pr. & vb. n. Chaining.]
1. To fasten, bind, or connect with a chain; to fasten or bind securely, as with a chain; as, to chain a bulldog. Chained behind the hostile car. Prior.
2. To keep in slavery; to enslave. And which more blest who chained his country, say Or he whose virtue sighed to lose a day Pope.
3. To unite closely and strongly. And in this vow do chain my soul to thine. Shak.
4. (Surveying)
Definition: To measure with the chain.
5. To protect by drawing a chain across, as a harbor.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
8 May 2025
(noun) the act of protecting something by surrounding it with material that reduces or prevents the transmission of sound or heat or electricity
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
