chimb

C3H4I1M3B3

noun

The projecting edge of a cask or barrel, formed by the joined ends of the staves.

OriginMiddle English chymbe ← Old English *ċimb ← Proto-West Germanic *kimbu →
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Meanings

nounchimb (plural chimbs)

plural chimbs · alternative chime · alternative chine

  1. dialectalrareThe projecting edge of a cask or barrel, formed by the joined ends of the staves.
  2. nauticalA plank which connects the sides of a ship to the deck.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gem-“to grab; hold; press; pack; cram”
  2. Proto-Germanic*kimbaną“to squeeze, compress”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*kimban“to press or fit together”
  4. Proto-West Germanic*kimbu“a pressing together, conjunction”
  5. Old English*ċimb“a joining, joint”
  6. Middle Englishchymbe
  7. Englishchimb

From Middle English chymbe, from Old English *ċimb (“a joining, joint”), possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kimbu (“a pressing together, conjunction”), derived from or related to Proto-West Germanic *kimban (“to press or fit together”), from Proto-Germanic *kimbaną (“to squeeze, compress”), from Proto-Indo-European *gem- (“to grab; hold; press; pack; cram”); whence also Old English ċimban (“to join”). Cognate with West Frisian kym, kime, kjim, kjimme (“edge, rim, chimb”), Dutch kim (“chimb, bilge, horizon”), Low German Kimm (“groove, horizon”), German Kimme (“groove, slit, notch”), Swedish kim, kimbe, kimme (“rod, plank, flat trough made of thin timber”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

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Cite this entry
APA

chimb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chimb

MLA

“chimb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chimb. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chimb,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chimb.

Source: chimb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.