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   chain

   /tʃeɪn/

   noun

   • 1. a series of linked metal rings used for fastening or securing something, or for pulling loads: "he slid the bolts on the front door and put the safety chain across" Similar fettersshacklesbondsironsleg ironsmanacleshandcuffsinformal:cuffsbraceletsarchaic:trammelsgyvesdarbiesbilboes
   • ▪ a decorative chain worn round the neck as jewellery or as a badge of office: "a tall man with a heavy gold chain round his neck"
   • ▪ a restrictive force or factor: "workers secured by the chains of the labour market"
   • 2. a sequence of items of the same type forming a line: "he kept the chain of buckets supplied with water" Similar seriessuccessionstringsequencetraintrailrunpatternprogressioncoursesetlinerowconcatenation
   • ▪ a series of connected elements: "the action would initiate a chain of events"
   • ▪ a connected series of mountains: "a mountain chain"
   • ▪ a group of hotels, restaurants, or shops owned by the same company: "the agency is part of a nationwide chain" Similar groupmultiple shop/storemultiplefirmcompany
   • ▪ a situation in which the sale of a house or flat is dependent on the prospective buyer selling their own or the seller buying another first: British "our offer was accepted this morning and there's no chain"
   • ▪ a part of a molecule consisting of a number of atoms bonded together in a linear sequence.
   • ▪ a figure in a quadrille or similar dance, in which dancers meet and pass each other in a continuous sequence.
   • 3. a jointed measuring line consisting of linked metal rods.
   • ▪ a measure of length equivalent to a chain (66 ft).
   • 4. a structure of planks projecting horizontally from a sailing ship's sides abreast of the masts, used to widen the basis for the shrouds.

   verb

   • 1. fasten or secure with a chain: "she chained her bicycle to the railings"
   • ▪ confine with a chain: "he had been chained up"

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French chaine, chaeine, from Latin catena ‘a chain’.

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • C

     3

   • H

     4

   • A

     1

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

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