in chains
noun
1.
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.
d.
4.
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 feet (20 meters) (Gunter's chain or surveyor's chain) or of 100 feet (30 meters) (engineer's chain)
b.
a unit of length equal to either of these.
c.
a graduated steel tape used for distance measurements. Abbreviation: ch
9.
Mathematics, totally ordered set.
10.
Football. a chain 10 yards (9 meters) in length for determining whether a first down has been earned.
verb (used with object)
11.
to fasten or secure with a chain: to chain a dog to a post.
12.
to confine or restrain: His work chained him to his desk.
13.
Surveying. to measure (a distance on the ground) with a chain or tape.
14.
Computers. to link (related items, as records in a file or portions of a program) together, especially so that items can be run in sequence.
15.
to make (a chain stitch or series of chain stitches), as in crocheting.
00:10
In chains
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
verb (used without object)
Idioms 16.
to form or make a chain.
17.
drag the chain, Australian Slang. to lag behind or shirk one's fair share of work.
18.
in the chains, Nautical. standing outboard on the channels or in some similar place to heave the lead to take soundings.
Related forms
chain·less, adjective
chain·like, adjective
in·ter·chain, verb (used with object)
un·chained, adjective
Synonyms
4. sequence, succession, train, set.
4. sequence, succession, train, set.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To in chains
Collins
World English Dictionary
chain (tʃeɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a flexible length of metal links, used for confining, connecting, pulling, etc, or in jewellery |
| 2. | (usually plural) anything that confines, fetters, or restrains: the chains of poverty |
| 3. | (usually plural) Also called: snow chains a set of metal links that fit over the tyre of a motor vehicle to increase traction and reduce skidding on an icy surface |
| 4. | a. a number of establishments such as hotels, shops, etc, having the same owner or management |
| b. (as modifier): a chain store | |
| 5. | a series of related or connected facts, events, etc |
| 6. | a series of deals in which each depends on a purchaser selling before being able to buy |
| 7. | See (as an example) sorites (of reasoning) a sequence of arguments each of which takes the conclusion of the preceding as a premise |
| 8. | Also called: Gunter's chain a unit of length equal to 22 yards |
| 9. | Also called: engineer's chain a unit of length equal to 100 feet |
| 10. | chem open chain See also ring two or more atoms or groups bonded together so that the configuration of the resulting molecule, ion, or radical resembles a chain |
| 11. | geography a series of natural features, esp approximately parallel mountain ranges |
| 12. | informal (Austral), (NZ) off the chain free from responsibility |
| 13. | informal jerk someone's chain, yank someone's chain to tease, mislead, or harass someone |
| —vb (often foll by up) | |
| 14. | surveying to measure with a chain or tape |
| 15. | to confine, tie, or make fast with or as if with a chain |
| 16. | to sew using chain stitch |
| [C13: from Old French chaine, ultimately from Latin; see | |
| Chain (tʃeɪn) | |
| —n | |
| Sir Ernst Boris. 1906--79, British biochemist, born in Germany: purified and adapted penicillin for clinical use; with Fleming and Florey shared the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1945 | |
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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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
chain
c.1300, from O.Fr. chaeine, from L. catena "chain," from PIE base *kat- "to twist, twine." The verb is attested from late 14c. 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]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
chain (chān)
n.
A group of atoms covalently bonded in a spatial configuration like links in a chain.
A linear arrangement of living things such as cells or bacteria.
Chain (chān), Ernst Boris. 1906-1979.
German-born British biochemist. He shared a 1945 Nobel Prize for isolating and purifying penicillin, discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
chain  (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. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
chain(saw) definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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chain(-smoke) definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Easton
Bible Dictionary
Chain definition
(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).
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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