great chains of being

A form of great chain of being — A hierarchical structure of all matter and life, descending from God through angels, humans, animals and plants to minerals, and thought in medieval times to have been decreed by God.

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Meanings

great chains of being1

noun
  1. pluralplural of great chain of being

Great Chains of Being2

noun
  1. pluralplural of Great Chain of Being

    Fixed hierarchies and Great Chains of Being were not ideas native to North America.

    1986 February 15, Patricia Clark Smith, “A Fresh Wind in the Museum: The Sacred Hoop”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 39, page B7
Cite this entry
APA

great chains of being. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/great%20chains%20of%20being

MLA

“great chains of being.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/great%20chains%20of%20being. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “great chains of being,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/great%20chains%20of%20being.

Source: great chains of being on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.