catena

What it means

1. A series of related items.

   And, on the contrary, there is a whole catena of authorities, beginning with Sir Robert Peel and ending with Mr. Lowe, which say that the Banking Department of the Bank of England is only a Bank like any other bank [...]

   1873, Walter Bagehot, Lombard Street

2. soil scienceA series of distinct soils arrayed along a slope.

   The changes in soil characteristics from the crest to the foot of a slope are together known as a catena.

   2000, Ewan Anderson, Middle East: Geography and Geopolitics, Routledge, →ISBN, page 55

In a sentence

And, on the contrary, there is a whole catena of authorities, beginning with Sir Robert Peel and ending with Mr. Lowe, which say that the Banking Department of the Bank of England is only a Bank like any other bank [...]

1873, Walter Bagehot, Lombard Street

Where it comes from

1. Latincatēna“chain”
2. Medieval Latincatena
3. Englishcatena

From Medieval Latin catena, from Latin catēna (“chain”). Doublet of chain.