chain

[Chain]

British biochemist (born in Germany) who isolated and purified penicillin, which had been discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming (1906 1979)

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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.

Noun
a series of (usually metal) rings or links fitted into one another to make a flexible ligament

Noun
a necklace made by a stringing objects together; "a string of beads"; "a strand of pearls";

Noun
anything that acts as a restraint

Noun
metal shackles; for hands or legs

Noun
a number of similar establishments (stores or restaurants or banks or hotels or theaters) under one ownership

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Noun
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together; "the chain of command"; "a complicated concatenation of circumstances"

Noun
(chemistry) a series of linked atoms (generally in an organic molecule)

Noun
a series of hills or mountains; "the valley was between two ranges of hills"; "the plains lay just beyond the mountain range"

Noun
British biochemist (born in Germany) who isolated and purified penicillin, which had been discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming (1906-1979)

Noun
a unit of length

Verb
fasten or secure with chains; "Chain the chairs together"

Verb
connect or arrange into a chain by linking

n.
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.

n.
That which confines, fetters, or secures, as a chain; a bond; as, the chains of habit.

n.
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.

n.
An instrument which consists of links and is used in measuring land.

n.
Iron links bolted to the side of a vessel to bold the dead-eyes connected with the shrouds; also, the channels.

n.
The warp threads of a web.

v. t.
To fasten, bind, or connect with a chain; to fasten or bind securely, as with a chain; as, to chain a bulldog.

v. t.
To keep in slavery; to enslave.

v. t.
To unite closely and strongly.

v. t.
To measure with the chain.

v. t.
To protect by drawing a chain across, as a harbor.

Chain

Chain , n. [F. cha'8cne, 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.

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.

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. &hand; 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'94l.), 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'91 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

Chain, v. t. [imp. p. p. Chained (ch'bend); 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.

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?

3. To unite closely and strongly.

And in this vow do chain my soul to thine.

4. (Surveying) To measure with the chain. 5. To protect by drawing a chain across, as a harbor.

Chainless

Chain"less , a. Having no chain; not restrained or fettered. "The chainless mind." Byron.

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.

To fasten, bind, or connect with a chain; to fasten or bind securely, as with a chain; as, to chain a bulldog.

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Usage Examples

I'm so happy to have been a part of that process and I would go straight back into the desert in a ton of chain mail for Ridley any day of the week. He's an amazing director and I can't wait to see the long version.

A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.

States are looking for low-cost solutions that will enable better communication, while avoiding the danger in which the chain of command breaks down in emergencies. We do not want everyone talking to everyone else all the time.

I'm not convinced that women have the education or the sense of their own history enough or that they understand the cruelty of which men are capable and the delight that many men will take in seeing you choose to chain yourself - then they get to say 'See, you did it yourself.'

If newspapers were a baseball team, they would be the Mets - without the hope for those folks at the very pinnacle of the financial food chain - who average nearly $24 million a year in income - 'next year.'

Australia is the only island continent on the planet, which means that changes caused by planet-warming pollution - warmer seas, which can drive stronger storms, and more acidic oceans, which wreak havoc on the food chain - are even more deadly here.

I heard about the project over a year before we began. My American agent said, 'Oh, you might want to read 'In Cold Blood' because they're talking about you for Capote, but the script's with Johnny Depp and Sean Penn at the moment.' So, these things take their time to dribble down the food chain.

Food safety involves everybody in the food chain.

Misspelled Form

chain, xchain, dchain, fchain, vchain, chain, xhain, dhain, fhain, vhain, hain, cxhain, cdhain, cfhain, cvhain, c hain, cghain, cyhain, cuhain, cjhain, cnhain, cgain, cyain, cuain, cjain, cnain, chgain, chyain, chuain, chjain, chnain, chqain, chwain, chsain, chzain, chqin, chwin, chsin, chzin, chaqin, chawin, chasin, chazin, chauin, cha8in, cha9in, chaoin, chajin, chakin, chaun, cha8n, cha9n, chaon, chajn, chakn, chaiun, chai8n, chai9n, chaion, chaijn, chaikn, chaibn, chaihn, chaijn, chaimn, chai n, chaib, chaih, chaij, chaim, chai , chainb, chainh, chainj, chainm, chain .

Other Usage Examples

Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.

A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain.

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

I hate this fast growing tendency to chain men to machines in big factories and deprive them of all joy in their efforts - the plan will lead to cheap men and cheap products.

Banks have a new image. Now you have 'a friend,' your friendly banker. If the banks are so friendly, how come they chain down the pens?

I'm trying to break any chain of negative parenting that I might have survived.

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.

I think the International Criminal Court could be a threat to American security interests, because the prosecutor of the court has enormous discretion in going after war crimes. And the way the Statute of Rome is written, responsibility for war crimes can be taken all the way up the chain of command.