chine

1
[ chahyn ]
See synonyms for chine on Thesaurus.com
nounBritish Dialect.
  1. a ravine formed in rock by the action of running water.

Origin of chine

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English chine, chinne, chin, Old English cīne, cȳne “crevice, fissure”; cognate with Middle Dutch kēne; compare Old English cīnan “to gape, crack open”

Other definitions for chine (2 of 4)

chine2
[ chahyn ]

noun
  1. the backbone or spine, especially of an animal.

  2. the whole or a piece of the backbone of an animal with adjoining parts, cut for cooking.

  1. a ridge or crest, as of land.

  2. Nautical.

    • an angular intersection of the sides and bottom of a vessel.

    • a longitudinal member running behind this.

verb (used with object),chined, chin·ing.
  1. (in butchering) to sever the backbone of.

Origin of chine

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English chine, schine, Anglo-French achine, from Old French eschine, from Germanic; cf. shin1

Other definitions for chine (3 of 4)

chine3
[ chahyn ]

noun

Other definitions for chiné (4 of 4)

chiné
[ shee-ney ]

adjective
  1. noting or pertaining to a fabric having a variegated pattern produced by warp threads that have been dyed, printed, or painted before weaving.

Origin of chiné

4
1850–55; <French, past participle of chiner, verbal derivative of Chine China

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chine (1 of 4)

chine1

/ (tʃaɪn) /


noun
  1. the backbone

  2. the backbone of an animal with adjoining meat, cut for cooking

  1. a ridge or crest of land

  2. (in some boats) a corner-like intersection where the bottom meets the side

verb
  1. (tr) to cut (meat) along or across the backbone

Origin of chine

1
C14: from Old French eschine, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German scina needle, shinbone; see shin 1

British Dictionary definitions for chine (2 of 4)

chine2

/ (tʃaɪn) /


noun
  1. another word for chime 2

British Dictionary definitions for chine (3 of 4)

chine3

/ (tʃaɪn) /


noun
  1. Southern English dialect a deep fissure in the wall of a cliff

Origin of chine

3
Old English cīnan to crack

British Dictionary definitions for chiné (4 of 4)

chiné

/ (ˈʃiːneɪ) /


adjective
  1. textiles having a mottled pattern

Origin of chiné

4
C19: from French chiner to make in the Chinese fashion, from Chine China

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012