chimney

American  

[chim-nee] / ˈtʃɪm ni /

noun

PLURAL

chimneys

1. a structure, usually vertical, containing a passage or flue by which the smoke, gases, etc., of a fire or furnace are carried off and by means of which a draft is created.

2. the part of such a structure that rises above a roof.

3. Now Rare.  the smokestack or funnel of a locomotive, steamship, etc.

4. a tube, usually of glass, surrounding the flame of a lamp to promote combustion and keep the flame steady.

5. Geology.

   1. the vent of a volcano.

   2. a narrow vertical fissure between two rock faces or in a rock formation.

6. Mining.  a nearly vertical cylindrical oreshoot.

7. British Dialect.  fireplace.

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verb (used with object)

chimneyed, chimneying

1. Mountain Climbing.  to ascend or descend (a chimney) by repeated bracing of one's feet or back and feet against opposite walls.

verb (used without object)

chimneyed, chimneying

1. Mountain Climbing.  to ascend or descend a chimney.

chimney British  

/ ˈtʃɪmnɪ /

noun

1. a vertical structure of brick, masonry, or steel that carries smoke or steam away from a fire, engine, etc

2. another name for flue 1

3. short for chimney stack

4. an open-ended glass tube fitting around the flame of an oil or gas lamp in order to exclude draughts

5. a fireplace, esp an old and large one

6. geology

   1. a cylindrical body of an ore, which is usually oriented vertically

   2. the vent of a volcano

7. mountaineering a vertical fissure large enough for a person's body to enter

8. anything resembling a chimney in shape or function

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chimney Scientific  

/ chĭm′nē /

1. An elongated opening in a volcano through which magma reaches the Earth's surface.

2. A stack of minerals that have precipitated out of a hydrothermal vent on the floor of a sea or ocean.

3. See more at hydrothermal vent

4. An isolated column of rock along a coastline, formed by the erosion of a sea cliff by waves. Chimneys are smaller than stacks.

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Other Word Forms

• chimneyless adjective
• chimneylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of chimney

1300–50; Middle English chimenai < Middle French cheminee < Latin ( camera ) camīnāta (room) having a fireplace, equivalent to camīn ( us ) (< Greek kámīnos furnace) + -āta -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Add a chimney starter and a grill cover to ensure they’re set up for success.

From Salon

You can put a chimney draught excluder inside any unused fireplaces, or make your own by filling a black bag with scrunched up paper.

From BBC

Plaster was falling in chunks from the ceilings, windows were missing panes, floors were missing boards, and trees were growing out of the chimneys.

From The Wall Street Journal

That night they begin to breach the domestic space, most terrifyingly by flying down the chimney of the Hockens’ cottage and attacking their sleeping children.

From The Wall Street Journal

A sleeping 3-year-old boy died after being struck by a collapsing chimney in the Landers earthquake.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fireplace
• flue
• furnace
• hearth
• pipe
• stack
• vent