chain

A2 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /ˈt͡ʃeɪn/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like sane /tʃ/ vs /s/

Freq #2521

Meanings

1

noun
A row of connected metal rings, used for pulling, holding, or as jewellery.

He wore a gold chain around his neck.
2

noun
A group of shops or businesses owned by the same company.

That chain of restaurants is opening in our town.
3

noun
A connected series of things or events.

A chain of mistakes led to the accident.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 noun · a connected series of... concatenation

Word family

Forms chainedchainingchainsunchainunchained

Derived forms airchainantichainbackchainblockchainbranched-chaincatenachain-cablechain-drivenchain-gangerchain-lightchain-linkchain-mail

Appears in

Phrases (2)

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Proverbs (2)

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Etymology

From Middle English cheyne, chaine, from Old French chaine, chaene (“chain”), from Latin catēna (“chain”), from Proto-Indo-European *kat- (“to braid, twist; hut, shed”). Doublet of catena. Displaced native Middle English rakil and rakent (from Old English racente (“chain”)); see rackan.

cheyne Middle English chaine Old French catēna Latin *kat- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Materials & Substances

External links

# chain

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈt͡ʃeɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 2521

## Meanings
1. A row of connected metal rings, used for pulling, holding, or as jewellery.
2. A group of shops or businesses owned by the same company.
3. A connected series of things or events.

## Examples
- He wore a gold chain around his neck.
- That chain of restaurants is opening in our town.
- A chain of mistakes led to the accident.

## Derived Forms
- airchain
- antichain
- backchain
- blockchain
- branched-chain
- catena
- chain-cable
- chain-driven
- chain-ganger
- chain-light
- chain-link
- chain-mail

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: cheyne
- Root: chaine
- Root: catēna
- Root: *kat-

## Etymology
From Middle English cheyne, chaine, from Old French chaine, chaene (“chain”), from Latin catēna (“chain”), from Proto-Indo-European *kat- (“to braid, twist; hut, shed”). Doublet of catena. Displaced native Middle English rakil and rakent (from Old English racente (“chain”)); see rackan.

## AI Etymology
chain is a noun. It is from Middle English cheyne, chaine, from Old French chaine, chaene (“chain”), from Latin catēna (“chain”), from Proto-Indo-European *kat- (“to braid, twist; hut, shed”). Doublet of catena. Displaced native Middle English rakil and rakent (from Old English racente (“chain”)); see rackan. Historical forms in the chain include cheyne (Middle English), chaine (Old French), catēna (Latin), and *kat- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include a row of connected metal rings, used for pulling, holding, or as jewellery, a group of shops or businesses owned by the same company, and a connected series of things or events. Derived forms include airchain, antichain, backchain, blockchain, and branched-chain.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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