chain

plural chains

1. A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.

   He wore a gold chain around the neck.

   1 more example

   The anchor is connected to the boat with a 100-metre long chain.

   Synonyms: string, rackle

   1. An accessory, adornment or insignia comprising, containing or depicting a series of links.

      wallet chain

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   2. A livery collar, a chain of office.

      And gainſt the General we will lift our ſwords And either lanch his greedie thirſting throat, Or take him priſoner, and his chaine ſhall ſerue For Manackles, till he be ranſom’d home.

      c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   3. figurativelyThat which confines, fetters, or secures; a bond.

      the chains of habit

      1 more example

      Driven down / To chains of darkness and the undying worm.

      1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   4. pluralusuallyA snow chain.

      He put chains on my tires.

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   5. cyclingA bicycle chain.

      My bike needs a chain.

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   6. American footballA pair of sticks connected by a ten yard chain, used to measure a down in American football.

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   7. A watchchain.

      His watch's chain was gold-plated.

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   8. A keychain.

      Get the key off my chain.

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   9. slangAfrican-American VernacularA necklace of chain jewelry, usually gold.

      They knocked him out and snatched his chain.

      Synonyms: string, rackle

   10. A door chain.

       I couldn't open the door because it was on its chain.

       Synonyms: string, rackle

   11. geographyA series of interconnected links of known length, used as a measuring device.

       Synonyms: string, rackle

   12. geographyA long measuring tape.

       Synonyms: string, rackle

   13. geographyA unit of length, exactly equal to 22 yards, which is 4 rods or 100 links, and approximately equal to 20.12 metres; the length of a Gunter's surveying chain; the length of a cricket pitch.

       "But it's too far—must be a quarter of a mile—and I've a portmanteau to carry." […] "Garn!" shouted the guard. "Taint ten chain. […]"

       1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter X, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 177

       Synonyms: string, rackle, acre's breadth

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

       Synonyms: string, rackle

   15. figurativelyA lightning bolt.

       I saw a brilliant chain of lightning across the sky.

       Synonyms: string, rackle

2. A series of interconnected things.

   a chain of mountains

   2 more examples

   a chain of ideas, one leading to the next

   This led to an unfortunate chain of events.

   Synonyms: streak, string

   1. An unbroken streak.

      We have to maintain chain of custody.

      1 more example

      You mustn't break the chain of this chain letter.

      Synonyms: streak, string

   2. A series of stores or businesses with the same brand name; a series of such stores as opposed to a small, independent shop.

      I love that place because it's not a chain.

      1 more example

      That chain of restaurants is expanding into our town.

      Synonyms: streak, string

   3. always singularA chain of command.

      Send it up the chain, so head office will have to deal with it.

      Synonyms: streak, string

   4. figurativelyeconomicsThe sequence of processes and transactions that result in a product or commodity being available.

      cold chain, kill chain, supply chain, value chain

      1 more example

      In public disclosures and press releases, the corporations perched atop the cobalt chain typically cite their commitments to international human rights norms, zero-tolerance policies on child labor, and adherence to the highest standards of supply chain due diligence.

      2023, Siddharth Kara, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, St. Martin's Publishing Group

      Synonyms: streak, string

   5. businessThe warp threads of a web.

      Synonyms: streak, string

   6. UKA sequence of linked house purchases, each of which is dependent on the preceding and succeeding purchase (said to be "broken" if a buyer or seller pulls out).

      Synonyms: streak, string

   7. businessA blockchain.

      Synonyms: streak, string

   8. A kinetic chain.

      Synonyms: streak, string

   9. physicalchemistryA number of atoms in a series, which combine to form a molecule.

      side chain

      1 more example

      When examined, the molecular chain included oxygen and hydrogen.

      Synonyms: streak, string

3. mathematicsA totally ordered set, especially a totally ordered subset of a poset.

   We first find an approximation of the chain partition, i.e. a small but not minimum size set of chains which cover all elements of the poset.

   2003, Jeremy P. Spinrad, Efficient Graph Representations, American Mathematical Society, page 108

4. originallyalgebraic topologyA formal sum of cells in a CW complex of a certain dimension k (in which case the formal sums are called k-chains); a formal sum of simplices or cubes of a certain dimension in a simplicial complex or cubical complex (respectively).
5. broadlyhomological algebraalgebraic topologyAn element of a group (or module) in a chain complex.

present singular third person chains · participle present chaining · participle past chained · past chained

1. transitiveTo fasten something with a chain.

   You should chain your bicycle to the railings to protect it from being stolen.

2. figurativelyTo connect as if with a chain, due to dependence, addiction, or other feelings

   Sometimes I feel like I'm chained to this computer.

   1 more example

   She's been chained to her principles since she was 18, it's unlikely you can convince her otherwise.

3. intransitiveTo link multiple items together.
4. transitiveTo secure someone with fetters.
5. transitiveTo obstruct the mouth of a river etc with a chain.
6. figurativelyTo obligate.

   I miss when Game Of Thrones was wide open, but even then, the writers were chained to a narrative they didn’t yet know the ending of and feared straying too far from.

   2017 August 13, Brandon Nowalk, “Oldtown offers one last game-changing secret as Game Of Thrones goes behind enemy lines (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club

7. computingTo relate data items with a chain of pointers.
8. computingTo be chained to another data item.

   You don’t need to maintain state, or partition execution into different objects that then you can chain together (one executes the other on completion — chained continuations).

   2016 January 15, Mark Papadakis, “Coroutines and Fibers. Why and When”, in Medium

9. transitiveTo measure a distance using a 66-foot long chain, as in land surveying.

   1 more example

   As the line was surveyed - a sufficient length being first chained by a surveyor, who was followed by axemen - trees had to be felled and a certain width maintained, which was specified in the contract, for drays had to follow, and the trees might have fallen upon the line and broken it down at the very outset.

   1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 99

10. raretransitiveassociated with Acorn ComputerscomputingTo load and automatically run (a program).

    You can do LOAD "" or CHAIN "" to load or chain the next program if I remember correctly (it's been a loooong time since I've used a tape on an Acorn!)

    1998, Juan Flynn, “BBC software transmitted on TV - how to load?”, in comp.sys.acorn.misc (Usenet)

    2 more examples

    How do you get one program to chain another? I want to run DrawWorks2 then !Draw but as soon as you run Drawworks2 it finishes the batch file and doesn't go on to the next instruction! Is there a way without loading one of these automatic loaders?

    1996, Mr D Walsh, “Running two programs from a batch file”, in comp.sys.acorn.misc (Usenet)

    Recent versions of AntiSpam no longer use the Config file but have a Settings file instead, so when I updated the Config file to chain SpamStamp it had no effect as it was a redundant file.

    2006, Richard Porter, “SpamStamp double headers”, in comp.sys.acorn.apps (Usenet)

plural Chains

1. A surname.