chime

1 [chahym] noun, verb, chimed, chim·ing.
noun
1.
an apparatus for striking a bell so as to produce a musical sound, as one at the front door of a house by which visitors announce their presence.
2.
Often, chimes.
a.
a set of bells or of slabs of metal, stone, wood, etc., producing musical tones when struck.
b.
a musical instrument consisting of such a set, especially a glockenspiel.
c.
the musical tones thus produced.
d.
carillon.
3.
harmonious sound in general; music; melody.
4.
harmonious relation; accord: the battling duo, in chime at last.
verb (used without object)
5.
to sound harmoniously or in chimes, as a set of bells: The church bells chimed at noon.
6.
to produce a musical sound by striking a bell, gong, etc.; ring chimes: The doorbell chimed.
7.
to speak in cadence or singsong.
8.
to harmonize; agree: The scenery chimed perfectly with the play's eerie mood.
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verb (used with object)
9.
to give forth (music, sound, etc.), as a bell or bells.
10.
to strike (a bell, set of bells, etc.) so as to produce musical sound.
11.
to put, bring, indicate, announce, etc., by chiming: Bells chimed the hour.
12.
to utter or repeat in cadence or singsong: The class chimed a greeting to the new teacher.
Verb phrases
13.
chime in,
a.
to break suddenly and unwelcomely into a conversation, as to express agreement or voice an opinion.
b.
to harmonize with, as in singing.
c.
to be consistent or compatible; agree: The new building will not chime in with the surrounding architecture.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English chymbe belle, by false analysis of *chimbel, Old English cimbal cymbal

Related forms
chim·er, noun
un·chim·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

chime

2 [chahym]
noun
the edge or brim of a cask, barrel, or the like, formed by the ends of the staves projecting beyond the head or bottom.
Also, chimb, chine.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English chimb(e); compare Old English cimbing chime; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch kimme edge

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To chime
Collins
World English Dictionary
chime1 (tʃaɪm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  an individual bell or the sound it makes when struck
2.  (often plural) the machinery employed to sound a bell in this way
3.  Also called: bell a percussion instrument consisting of a set of vertical metal tubes of graduated length, suspended in a frame and struck with a hammer
4.  a harmonious or ringing sound: the chimes of children's laughter
5.  agreement; concord
 
—vb (foll by with)
6.  a.  to sound (a bell) or (of a bell) to be sounded by a clapper or hammer
 b.  to produce (music or sounds) by chiming
7.  (tr) to indicate or show (time or the hours) by chiming
8.  (tr) to summon, announce, or welcome by ringing bells
9.  to agree or harmonize
10.  to speak or recite in a musical or rhythmic manner
 
[C13: probably shortened from earlier chymbe bell, ultimately from Latin cymbalumcymbal]
 
'chimer1
 
—n

chime, chimb or chine2 (tʃaɪm, tʃaɪn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
the projecting edge or rim of a cask or barrel
 
[Old English cimb-; related to Middle Low German kimme outer edge, Swedish kimb]
 
chimb, chimb or chine2
 
—n
 
[Old English cimb-; related to Middle Low German kimme outer edge, Swedish kimb]
 
chine, chimb or chine2
 
—n
 
[Old English cimb-; related to Middle Low German kimme outer edge, Swedish kimb]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

chime
c.1300, from L. cymbalum (see cymbal, which is what the word originally meant), perhaps through O.Fr. chimbe or directly from L. as O.E. cimbal, either one likely misinterpreted as chymbe bellen "chime bells."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
CHIME
College of Healthcare Information Management Executives
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

chime

any of several sets of tuned percussion instruments. Most frequently "chime" refers to the bell chime (q.v.), but it also denotes tubular bells (q.v.), or orchestral bells; the stone chimes (q.v.), or lithophone; drum chimes, sets of tuned drums found in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand; and gong (q.v.) chimes, the sets of tuned gongs used in the gamelan orchestras of Southeast Asia.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Then a chorus of employees chime in, complete with guitars, drums and a cowbell.
They also understand that the law, for all its technicalities, does not chime
  with an avowedly communist government.
Every now and then, somebody from marketing will chime in about something or
  other.
Cuckoo clocks, no matter when they chime, are almost always ominous.
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