a series of objects connected one after the other, usually in the form of a series of metal rings passing through one another, used either for various purposes requiring a flexible tie with high tensile strength, as for hauling, supporting, or confining, or in various ornamental and decorative forms.
2.
Often, chains.something that binds or restrains; bond: the chain of timidity; the chains of loyalty.
3.
chains,
a.
shackles or fetters: to place a prisoner in chains.
b.
bondage; servitude: to live one's life in chains.
c.
Nautical. (in a sailing vessel) the area outboard at the foot of the shrouds of a mast: the customary position of the leadsman in taking soundings.
a series of things connected or following in succession: a chain of events.
5.
a range of mountains.
6.
a number of similar establishments, as banks, theaters, or hotels, under one ownership or management.
7.
Chemistry. two or more atoms of the same element, usually carbon, attached as in a chain. Compare ring1(def. 17).
8.
Surveying,Civil Engineering.
a.
a distance-measuring device consisting of a chain of 100 links of equal length, having a total length either of 66 ft. (20 m) (Gunter's chain or surveyor's chain) or of 100 ft. (30 m) (engineer's chain).
b.
a unit of length equal to either of these.
c.
a graduated steel tape used for distance measurements. Abbreviation:ch
A connected, flexible series of links, typically of metal, used especially for holding objects together or restraining or for transmitting mechanical power.
Such a set of links, often of precious metal and with pendants attached, worn as an ornament or symbol of office.
Bonds, fetters, or shackles.
Captivity or oppression; bondage: threw off the chains of slavery.
An instrument used in surveying, consisting of 100 linked pieces of iron or steel and measuring 66 feet (20.1 meters). Also called Gunter's chain.
A similar instrument used in engineering, measuring 100 feet (30.5 meters).
Abbr. ch A unit of measurement equal to the length of either of these instruments.
A restraining or confining agent or force.
chains
Bonds, fetters, or shackles.
Captivity or oppression; bondage: threw off the chains of slavery.
An instrument used in surveying, consisting of 100 linked pieces of iron or steel and measuring 66 feet (20.1 meters). Also called Gunter's chain.
A similar instrument used in engineering, measuring 100 feet (30.5 meters).
Abbr. ch A unit of measurement equal to the length of either of these instruments.
A series of closely linked or connected things: a chain of coincidences. See Synonyms at series.
A number of establishments, such as stores, theaters, or hotels, under common ownership or management.
A range of mountains.
Chemistry A group of atoms bonded in a spatial configuration like links in a chain.
An instrument used in surveying, consisting of 100 linked pieces of iron or steel and measuring 66 feet (20.1 meters). Also called Gunter's chain.
A similar instrument used in engineering, measuring 100 feet (30.5 meters).
Abbr. ch A unit of measurement equal to the length of either of these instruments.
tr.v.
chained, chain·ing, chains
To bind or make fast with a chain or chains: chained the dog to a tree.
To restrain or confine as if with chains: workers who were chained to a life of dull routine.
[Middle English chaine, from Old French, from Latin catēna.]
ChainAudio Help (chān) Pronunciation Key
German-born British biochemist. He isolated and purified penicillin; for this achievement he shared a 1945 Nobel Prize with Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin in 1928.
c.1300, from O.Fr. chaeine, from L. catena "chain," from PIE base *kat- "to twist, twine." The verb is attested from 1377. chain of stores is Amer.Eng., 1846. Chain letter first recorded 1906.
"In 1896, Miss Audrey Griffin, of Hurstville, New South Wales initiated a 'chain letter' with the object of obtaining 1,000,000 used postage stamps." ["Daily Chronicle," July 27, 1906]
a series of (especially metal) links or rings passing through one another Example: The dog was fastened by a chain; She wore a silver chain round her neck.
Arabic:
سِلْسِلَه
Chinese (Simplified):
链条
Chinese (Traditional):
鏈條
Czech:
řetěz, řetízek
Danish:
kæde; lænke
Dutch:
ketting
Estonian:
kett
Finnish:
ketju
French:
chaîne
German:
die Kette
Greek:
αλυσίδα
Hungarian:
lánc
Icelandic:
keðja
Indonesian:
rantai
Italian:
catena
Japanese:
鎖
Korean:
쇠사슬
Latvian:
ķēde; ķēdīte
Lithuanian:
grandinė(lė)
Norwegian:
kjede, lenke
Polish:
łańcuch
Portuguese (Brazil):
corrente
Portuguese (Portugal):
corrente
Romanian:
lanţ
Russian:
цепь; цепочка
Slovak:
reťaz, retiazka
Slovenian:
veriga; verižica
Spanish:
cadena
Swedish:
kedja, kätting
Turkish:
zincir
chain2[tʃein]noun
a series Example: a chain of events
Arabic:
تَسَلْسُلِ الأحْداث
Chinese (Simplified):
一系列
Chinese (Traditional):
一系列
Czech:
řetěz
Danish:
række; kæde
Dutch:
reeks
Estonian:
ahel
Finnish:
kettinki
French:
série
German:
die Kette
Greek:
αλληλουχία
Hungarian:
láncolat
Icelandic:
röð
Indonesian:
rangkaian
Japanese:
連鎖
Korean:
연속
Latvian:
sērija; virkne
Lithuanian:
virtinė
Norwegian:
rekke, rad
Polish:
łańcuch
Portuguese (Brazil):
cadeia
Portuguese (Portugal):
cadeia
Romanian:
serie
Russian:
цепь
Slovak:
reťaz
Slovenian:
zaporedje, vrsta
Spanish:
cadena, serie
Swedish:
kedja, följd
Turkish:
dizi
chain[tʃein]verb
to fasten or bind with chains Example: The prisoner was chained to the wall.
chainAudio Help (chān) Pronunciation Key
A group of atoms, often of the same element, bound together in a line, branched line, or ring to form a molecule. ◇ In a straight chain, each of the constituent atoms is attached to other single atoms, not to groups of atoms. ◇ In a branched chain, side groups are attached to the chain. ◇ In a closed chain, the atoms are arranged in the shape of a ring.
Chain, Sir Ernst Boris 1906-1979.
German-born British bacteriologist who, with Howard Florey, developed and purified penicillin in 1939. For this work, they shared a 1945 Nobel Prize with Alexander Fleming, who first discovered the antibiotic in 1928.
Main Entry: chain Pronunciation: 'chAn Function: noun often attributive1: a series of things (as bacteria) linked, connected, or associated
together 2: a number of atoms or chemical groups united like links in a chain
chain 1. (From BASIC's "CHAIN" statement) To pass control to a child or successor without going through the operating systemcommand interpreter that invoked you. The state of the parent program is lost and there is no returning to it. Though this facility used to be common on memory-limited microcomputers and is still widely supported for backward compatibility, the jargon usage is semi-obsolescent; in particular, Unix calls this exec. Compare with the more modern "subshell". 2. A series of linked data areas within an operating system or application program. "Chain rattling" is the process of repeatedly running through the linked data areas searching for one which is of interest. The implication is that there are many links in the chain. 3. A possibly infinite, non-decreasing sequence of elements of some total ordering, S x0 <= x1 <= x2 ... A chain satisfies: for all x,y in S, x <= y \/ y <= x. I.e. any two elements of a chain are related. ("<=" is written in LaTeX as sqsubseteq). [The Jargon File] (1995-02-03)
1. vi. [orig. from BASIC's `CHAIN' statement] To hand off execution to a child or successor without going through the OS command interpreter that invoked it. The state of the parent program is lost and there is no returning to it. Though this facility used to be common on memory-limited micros and is still widely supported for backward compatibility, the jargon usage is semi-obsolescent; in particular, most Unix programmers will think of this as an exec. Oppose the more modern `subshell'. 2. n. A series of linked data areas within an operating system or application. `Chain rattling' is the process of repeatedly running through the linked data areas searching for one which is of interest to the executing program. The implication is that there is a very large number of links on the chain.
Chain-O-Lakes, MO (village, FIPS 13000) Location: 36.53331 N, 93.72478 W Population (1990): 111 (66 housing units) Area: 0.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Chain O' Lakes-King, WI (CDP, FIPS 13885) Location: 44.33080 N, 89.16780 W Population (1990): 1667 (1071 housing units) Area: 10.9 sq km (land), 3.2 sq km (water)
Grand Chain, IL Zip code(s): 62941
New Grand Chain, IL (village, FIPS 52467) Location: 37.25317 N, 89.01714 W Population (1990): 273 (116 housing units) Area: 2.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Cat"e*nate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Catenated; p. pr. & vb. n. Catenating.] [L. catenatus, p. p. of catenare, fr. catena chain. See Chain.] To connect, in a series of links or ties; to chain. --E. Darwin.
Chain\, n. [F. cha[^i]ne, 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.) 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.) Iron links bolted to the side of a vessel to bold the dead-eyes connected with the shrouds; also, the channels. 6. (Weaving) 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 (Zo["o]l.), 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 formul[ae] 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 (ch[=a]nd); 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) To measure with the chain. 5. To protect by drawing a chain across, as a harbor.
Chi"gnon\, n. [F., prop. equiv. to cha[^i]non link, fr. cha[^i]ne chain, fr. L. catena Cf. Chain.] A knot, boss, or mass of hair, natural or artificial, worn by a woman at the back of the head. A curl that had strayed from her chignon. --H. James.
Coat\ (k[=o]t; 110), n. [OF. cote, F. cotte, petticoat, cotte d'armes coat of arms, cotte de mailles coat of mail, LL. cota, cotta, tunic, prob. of German origin; cf. OHG. chozzo coarse mantle, G. klotze, D. kot, hut, E. cot. Cf. Cot a hut.]1. An outer garment fitting the upper part of the body; especially, such a garment worn by men. Let each His adamantine coat gird well. --Milton. 2. A petticoat. [Obs.] "A child in coats." --Locke. 3. The habit or vesture of an order of men, indicating the order or office; cloth. Men of his coat should be minding their prayers. --Swift. She was sought by spirits of richest coat. --Shak. 4. An external covering like a garment, as fur, skin, wool, husk, or bark; as, the horses coats were sleek. Fruit of all kinds, in coat Rough or smooth rined, or bearded husk, or shell. --Milton. 5. A layer of any substance covering another; a cover; a tegument; as, the coats of the eye; the coats of an onion; a coat of tar or varnish. 6. Same as Coat of arms. See below. Hark, countrymen! either renew the fight, Or tear the lions out of England's coat. --Shak. 7. A coat card. See below. [Obs.] Here's a trick of discarded cards of us! We were ranked with coats as long as old master lived. --Massinger. Coat armor. See under Armor. Coat of arms (Her.), a translation of the French cotte d'armes, a garment of light material worn over the armor in the 15th and 16th centuries. This was often charged with the heraldic bearings of the wearer. Hence, an heraldic achievement; the bearings of any person, taken together. Coat card, a card bearing a coated figure; the king, queen, or knave of playing cards. "`I am a coat card indeed.' `Then thou must needs be a knave, for thou art neither king nor queen."' --Rowley. Coat link, a pair of buttons or studs joined by a link, to hold together the lappels of a double-breasted coat; or a button with a loop for a single-breasted coat. Coat of mail, a defensive garment of chain mail. See Chain mail, under Chain. Mast coat (Naut.), a piece of canvas nailed around a mast, where it passes through the deck, to prevent water from getting below. Sail coat (Naut.), a canvas cover laced over furled sails, and the like, to keep them dry and clean.
Cor"al\, n. [Of. coral, F, corail, L. corallum, coralium, fr. Gr. kora`llion.]1. (Zo["o]l.) The hard parts or skeleton of various Anthozoa, and of a few Hydrozoa. Similar structures are also formed by some Bryozoa. Note: The large stony corals forming coral reefs belong to various genera of Madreporaria, and to the hydroid genus, Millepora. The red coral, used in jewelry, is the stony axis of the stem of a gorgonian (Corallium rubrum) found chiefly in the Mediterranean. The fan corals, plume corals, and sea feathers are species of Gorgoniacea, in which the axis is horny. Organ-pipe coral is formed by the genus Tubipora, an Alcyonarian, and black coral is in part the axis of species of the genus Antipathes. See Anthozoa, Madrepora. 2. The ovaries of a cooked lobster; -- so called from their color. 3. A piece of coral, usually fitted with small bells and other appurtenances, used by children as a plaything. Brain coral, or Brain stone coral. See under Brain. Chain coral. See under Chain. Coral animal (Zo["o]l.), one of the polyps by which corals are formed. They are often very erroneously called coral insects. Coral fish. See in the Vocabulary. Coral reefs (Phys. Geog.), reefs, often of great extent, made up chiefly of fragments of corals, coral sands, and the solid limestone resulting from their consolidation. They are classed as fringing reefs, when they border the land; barrier reefs, when separated from the shore by a broad belt of water; atolls, when they constitute separate islands, usually inclosing a lagoon. See Atoll. Coral root (Bot.), a genus (Corallorhiza) of orchideous plants, of a yellowish or brownish red color, parasitic on roots of other plants, and having curious jointed or knotted roots not unlike some kinds of coral. See Illust. under Coralloid. Coral snake. (Zo) (a) A small, venomous, Brazilian snake (Elaps corallinus), coral-red, with black bands. (b) A small, harmless, South American snake (Tortrix scytale). Coral tree (Bot.), a tropical, leguminous plant, of several species, with showy, scarlet blossoms and coral-red seeds. The best known is Erythrina Corallodendron. Coral wood, a hard, red cabinet wood. --McElrath.
En*chain"\, v. t. [F. encha[^i]ner; pref. en- (L. in) cha[^i]ne chain. See Chain, and cf. Incatenation.]1. To bind with a chain; to hold in chains. 2. To hold fast; to confine; as, to enchain attention. 3. To link together; to connect. --Howell.
Hook\, n. [OE. hok, AS. h[=o]c; cf. D. haak, G. hake, haken, OHG. h[=a]ko, h[=a]go, h[=a]ggo, Icel. haki, Sw. hake, Dan. hage. Cf. Arquebuse, Hagbut, Hake, Hatch a half door, Heckle.]1. A piece of metal, or other hard material, formed or bent into a curve or at an angle, for catching, holding, or sustaining anything; as, a hook for catching fish; a hook for fastening a gate; a boat hook, etc. 2. That part of a hinge which is fixed to a post, and on which a door or gate hangs and turns. 3. An implement for cutting grass or grain; a sickle; an instrument for cutting or lopping; a billhook. Like slashing Bentley with his desperate hook. --Pope. 4. (Steam Engin.) See Eccentric, and V-hook. 5. A snare; a trap. [R.] --Shak. 6. A field sown two years in succession. [Prov. Eng.] 7. pl. The projecting points of the thigh bones of cattle; -- called also hook bones. By hook or by crook, one way or other; by any means, direct or indirect. --Milton. "In hope her to attain by hook or crook." --Spenser. Off the hooks, unhinged; disturbed; disordered. [Colloq.] "In the evening, by water, to the Duke of Albemarle, whom I found mightly off the hooks that the ships are not gone out of the river." --Pepys. On one's own hook, on one's own account or responsibility; by one's self. [Colloq. U.S.] --Bartlett. To go off the hooks, to die. [Colloq.] --Thackeray. Bid hook, a small boat hook. Chain hook. See under Chain. Deck hook, a horizontal knee or frame, in the bow of a ship, on which the forward part of the deck rests. Hook and eye, one of the small wire hooks and loops for fastening together the opposite edges of a garment, etc. Hook bill (Zo["o]l.), the strongly curved beak of a bird. Hook ladder, a ladder with hooks at the end by which it can be suspended, as from the top of a wall. Hook motion (Steam Engin.), a valve gear which is reversed by V hooks. Hook squid, any squid which has the arms furnished with hooks, instead of suckers, as in the genera Enoploteuthis and Onychteuthis. Hook wrench, a wrench or spanner, having a hook at the end, instead of a jaw, for turning a bolthead, nut, or coupling.
Link\, n. [OE. linke, AS. hlence; akin to Sw. l["a]nk ring of a chain, Dan. l[ae]nke chain, Icel. hlekkr; cf. G. gelenk joint, link, ring of a chain, lenken to bend.]1. A single ring or division of a chain. 2. Hence: Anything, whether material or not, which binds together, or connects, separate things; a part of a connected series; a tie; a bond. "Links of iron." --Shak. The link of brotherhood, by which One common Maker bound me to the kind. --Cowper. And so by double links enchained themselves in lover's life. --Gascoigne. 3. Anything doubled and closed like a link; as, a link of horsehair. --Mortimer. 4. (Kinematics) Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained. 5. (Mach.) Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (Steam Engine), the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion. 6. (Surveying) The length of one joint of Gunter's chain, being the hundredth part of it, or 7.92 inches, the chain being 66 feet in length. Cf. Chain, n., 4. 7. (Chem.) A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; -- applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction. 8. pl. Sausages; -- because linked together. [Colloq.]
Mail\, n. [OE. maile, maille, F. maille a ring of mail, mesh, network, a coat of mail, fr. L. macula spot, a mesh of a net. Cf. Macle, Macula, Mascle.]1. A flexible fabric made of metal rings interlinked. It was used especially for defensive armor. --Chaucer. Chain mail, Coat of mail. See under Chain, and Coat. 2. Hence generally, armor, or any defensive covering. 3. (Naut.) A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage. 4. (Zo["o]l.) Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc. We . . . strip the lobster of his scarlet mail. --Gay.
O"pen\, a. [AS. open; akin to D. open, OS. opan, G. offan, Icel. opinn, Sw. ["o]ppen, Dan. aaben, and perh. to E. up. Cf. Up, and Ope.]1. Free of access; not shut up; not closed; affording unobstructed ingress or egress; not impeding or preventing passage; not locked up or covered over; -- applied to passageways; as, an open door, window, road, etc.; also, to inclosed structures or objects; as, open houses, boxes, baskets, bottles, etc.; also, to means of communication or approach by water or land; as, an open harbor or roadstead. Through the gate, Wide open and unquarded, Satan passed. --Milton Note: Also, figuratively, used of the ways of communication of the mind, as by the senses; ready to hear, see, etc.; as, to keep one's eyes and ears open. His ears are open unto their cry. --Ps. xxxiv. 15. 2. Free to be used, enjoyed, visited, or the like; not private; public; unrestricted in use; as, an open library, museum, court, or other assembly; liable to the approach, trespass, or attack of any one; unprotected; exposed. If Demetrius . . . have a matter against any man, the law is open and there are deputies. --Acts xix. 33. The service that I truly did his life, Hath left me open to all injuries. --Shak. 3. Free or cleared of obstruction to progress or to view; accessible; as, an open tract; the open sea. 4. Not drawn together, closed, or contracted; extended; expanded; as, an open hand; open arms; an open flower; an open prospect. Each, with open arms, embraced her chosen knight. --Dryden. 5. Hence: (a) Without reserve or false pretense; sincere; characterized by sincerity; unfeigned; frank; also, generous; liberal; bounteous; -- applied to personal appearance, or character, and to the expression of thought and feeling, etc. With aspect open, shall erect his head. --Pope. The Moor is of a free and open nature. --Shak. The French are always open, familiar, and talkative. --Addison. (b) Not concealed or secret; not hidden or disguised; exposed to view or to knowledge; revealed; apparent; as, open schemes or plans; open shame or guilt. His thefts are too open. --Shak. That I may find him, and with secret gaze Or open admiration him behold. --Milton. 6. Not of a quality to prevent communication, as by closing water ways, blocking roads, etc.; hence, not frosty or inclement; mild; -- used of the weather or the climate; as, an open season; an open winter. --Bacon. 7. Not settled or adjusted; not decided or determined; not closed or withdrawn from consideration; as, an open account; an open question; to keep an offer or opportunity open. 8. Free; disengaged; unappropriated; as, to keep a day open for any purpose; to be open for an engagement. 9. (Phon.) (a) Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; -- said of vowels; as, the ["a]n f["a]r is open as compared with the [=a] in s[=a]y. (b) Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure, as in uttering s. 10. (Mus.) (a) Not closed or stopped with the finger; -- said of the string of an instrument, as of a violin, when it is allowed to vibrate throughout its whole length. (b) Produced by an open string; as, an open tone. The open air, the air out of doors. Open chain. (Chem.) See Closed chain, under Chain. Open circuit (Elec.), a conducting circuit which is incomplete, or interrupted at some point; -- opposed to an uninterrupted, or closed circuit. Open communion, communion in the Lord's supper not restricted to persons who have been baptized by immersion. Cf. Close communion, under Close, a. Open diapason (Mus.), a certain stop in an organ, in which the pipes or tubes are formed like the mouthpiece of a flageolet at the end where the wind enters, and are open at the other end. Open flank (Fort.), the part of the flank covered by the orillon. Open-front furnace (Metal.), a blast furnace having a forehearth. Open harmony (Mus.), harmony the tones of which are widely dispersed, or separated by wide intervals. Open hawse (Naut.), a hawse in which the cables are parallel or slightly divergent. Cf. Foul hawse, under Hawse. Open hearth (Metal.), the shallow hearth of a reverberatory furnace. Open-hearth furnace, a reverberatory furnace; esp., a kind of reverberatory furnace in which the fuel is gas, used in manufacturing steel. Open-hearth process (Steel Manuf.), a process by which melted cast iron is converted into steel by the addition of wrought iron, or iron ore and manganese, and by exposure to heat in an open-hearth furnace; -- also called the Siemens-Martin process, from the inventors. Open-hearth steel, steel made by an open-hearth process; -- also called Siemens-Martin steel. Open newel. (Arch.) See Hollow newel, under Hollow. Open pipe (Mus.), a pipe open at the top. It has a pitch about an octave higher than a closed pipe of the same length. Open-timber roof (Arch.), a roof of which the constructional parts, together with the under side of the covering, or its lining, are treated ornamentally, and left to form the ceiling of an apartment below, as in a church, a public hall, and the like. Open vowel or consonant. See Open, a., 9. Note: Open is used in many compounds, most of which are self-explaining; as, open-breasted, open-minded. Syn: Unclosed; uncovered; unprotected; exposed; plain; apparent; obvious; evident; public; unreserved; frank; sincere; undissembling; artless. See Candid, and Ingenuous.
Pat"tern\, n. [OE. patron, F. patron, a patron, also, a pattern. See Patron.]1. Anything proposed for imitation; an archetype; an exemplar; that which is to be, or is worthy to be, copied or imitated; as, a pattern of a machine. I will be the pattern of all patience. --Shak. 2. A part showing the figure or quality of the whole; a specimen; a sample; an example; an instance. He compares the pattern with the whole piece. --Swift. 3. Stuff sufficient for a garment; as, a dress pattern. 4. Figure or style of decoration; design; as, wall paper of a beautiful pattern. 5. Something made after a model; a copy. --Shak. The patterns of things in the heavens. --Heb. ix. 23. 6. Anything cut or formed to serve as a guide to cutting or forming objects; as, a dressmaker's pattern. 7. (Founding) A full-sized model around which a mold of sand is made, to receive the melted metal. It is usually made of wood and in several parts, so as to be removed from the mold without injuring it. Pattern box, chain, or cylinder (Figure Weaving), devices, in a loom, for presenting several shuttles to the picker in the proper succession for forming the figure. Pattern card. (a) A set of samples on a card. (b) (Weaving) One of the perforated cards in a Jacquard apparatus. Pattern reader, one who arranges textile patterns. Pattern wheel (Horology), a count-wheel.
Ring\, n. [AS. hring, hrinc; akin to Fries. hring, D. & G. ring, OHG. ring, hring, Icel. hringr, DAn. & SW. ring; cf. Russ. krug'. Cf. Harangue, Rank a row,Rink.] A circle, or a circular line, or anything in the form of a circular line or hoop. 2. Specifically, a circular ornament of gold or other precious material worn on the finger, or attached to the ear, the nose, or some other part of the person; as, a wedding ring. Upon his thumb he had of gold a ring. --Chaucer. The dearest ring in Venice will I give you. --Shak. 3. A circular area in which races are or run or other sports are performed; an arena. Place me, O, place me in the dusty ring, Where youthful charioteers contend for glory. --E. Smith. 4. An inclosed space in which pugilists fight; hence, figuratively, prize fighting. "The road was an institution, the ring was an institution." --Thackeray. 5. A circular group of persons. And hears the Muses in a ring Aye round about Jove's alter sing. --Milton. 6. (Geom.) (a) The plane figure included between the circumferences of two concentric circles. (b) The solid generated by the revolution of a circle, or other figure, about an exterior straight line (as an axis) lying in the same plane as the circle or other figure. 7. (Astron. & Navigation) An instrument, formerly used for taking the sun's altitude, consisting of a brass ring suspended by a swivel, with a hole at one side through which a solar ray entering indicated the altitude on the graduated inner surface opposite. 8. (Bot.) An elastic band partly or wholly encircling the spore cases of ferns. See Illust. of Sporangium. 9. A clique; an exclusive combination of persons for a selfish purpose, as to control the market, distribute offices, obtain contracts, etc. The ruling ring at Constantinople. --E. A. Freeman. Ring armor, armor composed of rings of metal. See Ring mail, below, and Chain mail, under Chain. Ring blackbird (Zo["o]l.), the ring ousel. Ring canal (Zo["o]l.), the circular water tube which surrounds the esophagus of echinoderms. Ring dotterel, or Ringed dotterel. (Zo["o]l.) See Dotterel, and Illust. of Pressiroster. Ring dropper, a sharper who pretends to have found a ring (dropped by himself), and tries to induce another to buy it as valuable, it being worthless. Ring fence. See under Fence. Ring finger, the third finger of the left hand, or the next the little finger, on which the ring is placed in marriage. Ring formula (Chem.), a graphic formula in the shape of a closed ring, as in the case of benzene, pyridine, etc. See Illust. under Benzene. Ring mail, a kind of mail made of small steel rings sewed upon a garment of leather or of cloth. Ring micrometer. (Astron.) See Circular micrometer, under Micrometer. Saturn's rings. See Saturn. Ring ousel. (Zo["o]l.) See Ousel. Ring parrot (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of Old World parrakeets having a red ring around the neck, especially Pal[ae]ornis torquatus, common in India, and P. Alexandri of Java. Ring plover. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The ringed dotterel. (b) Any one of several small American plovers having a dark ring around the neck, as the semipalmated plover ([AE]gialitis semipalmata). Ring snake (Zo["o]l.), a small harmless American snake (Diadophis punctatus) having a white ring around the neck. The back is ash-colored, or sage green, the belly of an orange red. Ring stopper. (Naut.) See under Stopper. Ring thrush (Zo["o]l.), the ring ousel. The prize ring, the ring in which prize fighters contend; prize fighters, collectively. The ring. (a) The body of sporting men who bet on horse races. [Eng.] (b) The prize ring.
Shot\, n.; pl. Shotor Shots. [OE. shot, schot, AS. gesceot a missile; akin to D. schot a shot, shoot, G. schuss, geschoss a missile, Icel. skot a throwing, a javelin, and E. shoot, v.t. [root]159. See Shoot, and cf. Shot a share.]1. The act of shooting; discharge of a firearm or other weapon which throws a missile. He caused twenty shot of his greatest cannon to be made at the king's army. --Clarendon. 2. A missile weapon, particularly a ball or bullet; specifically, whatever is discharged as a projectile from firearms or cannon by the force of an explosive. Note: Shot used in war is of various kinds, classified according to the material of which it is composed, into lead, wrought-iron, and cast-iron; according to form, into spherical and oblong; according to structure and modes of operation, into solid, hollow, and case. See Bar shot, Chain shot, etc., under Bar, Chain, etc. 3. Small globular masses of lead, of various sizes, -- used chiefly for killing game; as, bird shot; buckshot. 4. The flight of a missile, or the distance which it is, or can be, thrown; as, the vessel was distant more than a cannon shot. 5. A marksman; one who practices shooting; as, an exellent shot. Shot belt, a belt having a pouch or compartment for carrying shot. Shot cartridge, a cartridge containing powder and small shot, forming a charge for a shotgun. Shot garland (Naut.), a wooden frame to contain shot, secured to the coamings and ledges round the hatchways of a ship. Shot gauge, an instrument for measuring the diameter of round shot. --Totten. shot hole, a hole made by a shot or bullet discharged. Shot locker (Naut.), a strongly framed compartment in the hold of a vessel, for containing shot. Shot of a cable (Naut.), the splicing of two or more cables together, or the whole length of the cables thus united. Shot prop (Naut.), a wooden prop covered with tarred hemp, to stop a hole made by the shot of an enemy in a ship's side. Shot tower, a lofty tower for making shot, by dropping from its summit melted lead in slender streams. The lead forms spherical drops which cool in the descent, and are received in water or other liquid. Shot window, a window projecting from the wall. Ritson, quoted by Halliwell, explains it as a window that opens and shuts; and Wodrow describes it as a window of shutters made of timber and a few inches of glass above them.
(1.) A part of the insignia of office. A chain of gold was placed about Joseph's neck (Gen. 41:42); and one was promised to Daniel (5:7). It is used as a symbol of sovereignty (Ezek. 16:11). The breast-plate of the high-priest was fastened to the ephod by golden chains (Ex. 39:17, 21).
(2.) It was used as an ornament (Prov. 1:9; Cant. 1:10). The Midianites adorned the necks of their camels with chains (Judg. 8:21, 26).
(3.) Chains were also used as fetters wherewith prisoners were bound (Judg. 16:21; 2 Sam. 3:34; 2 Kings 25:7; Jer. 39:7). Paul was in this manner bound to a Roman soldier (Acts 28:20; Eph. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:16). Sometimes, for the sake of greater security, the prisoner was attached by two chains to two soldiers, as in the case of Peter (Acts 12:6).
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