chine

1
[ chahyn ]
See synonyms for: chinechinedchining on Thesaurus.com

nounBritish Dialect.
  1. a ravine formed in rock by the action of running water.

Origin of chine

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English chine, chinne, chin, Old English cīne, cȳne “crevice, fissure”; cognate with Middle Dutch kēne; compare Old English cīnan “to gape, crack open”

Words Nearby chine

Other definitions for chine (2 of 4)

chine2
[ chahyn ]

noun
  1. the backbone or spine, especially of an animal.

  2. the whole or a piece of the backbone of an animal with adjoining parts, cut for cooking.

  1. a ridge or crest, as of land.

  2. Nautical.

    • an angular intersection of the sides and bottom of a vessel.

    • a longitudinal member running behind this.

verb (used with object),chined, chin·ing.
  1. (in butchering) to sever the backbone of.

Origin of chine

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English chine, schine, Anglo-French achine, from Old French eschine, from Germanic; cf. shin1

Other definitions for chine (3 of 4)

chine3
[ chahyn ]

noun

Other definitions for chiné (4 of 4)

chiné
[ shee-ney ]

adjective
  1. noting or pertaining to a fabric having a variegated pattern produced by warp threads that have been dyed, printed, or painted before weaving.

Origin of chiné

4
1850–55; <French, past participle of chiner, verbal derivative of Chine China

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chine in a sentence

  • She soon attired herself in the blue crêpe de chine over which she and Nance had labored so industriously the winter before.

British Dictionary definitions for chine (1 of 4)

chine1

/ (tʃaɪn) /


noun
  1. the backbone

  2. the backbone of an animal with adjoining meat, cut for cooking

  1. a ridge or crest of land

  2. (in some boats) a corner-like intersection where the bottom meets the side

verb
  1. (tr) to cut (meat) along or across the backbone

Origin of chine

1
C14: from Old French eschine, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German scina needle, shinbone; see shin 1

British Dictionary definitions for chine (2 of 4)

chine2

/ (tʃaɪn) /


noun
  1. another word for chime 2

British Dictionary definitions for chine (3 of 4)

chine3

/ (tʃaɪn) /


noun
  1. Southern English dialect a deep fissure in the wall of a cliff

Origin of chine

3
Old English cīnan to crack

British Dictionary definitions for chiné (4 of 4)

chiné

/ (ˈʃiːneɪ) /


adjective
  1. textiles having a mottled pattern

Origin of chiné

4
C19: from French chiner to make in the Chinese fashion, from Chine China

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012