chassis

[chas-ee, -is, shas-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chassis ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural chas·sis [chas-eez, shas-] /ˈtʃæs iz, ˈʃæs-/.

Automotive. the frame, wheels, and machinery of a motor vehicle, on which the body is supported.

Ordnance. the frame or railway on which a gun carriage moves backward and forward.

the main landing gear of an aircraft; that portion of the landing gear that supports an aircraft.

Radio and Television. a frame for mounting the circuit components of a radio or television set.

a construction forming the sides, top, and bottom of a cabinet, showcase, or the like.

Origin of chassis

1655–65; < French châssis frame; akin to chase²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for chassis

frame, undercarriage, body, case, skeleton

Examples from the Web for chassis

Contemporary Examples of chassis

The prototype Land Rover was designed by a Jeep owner and built on a Jeep chassis.
Nationalism on Four Wheels
Clive Irving
October 18, 2014

Historical Examples of chassis

Jason carefully set the parts out on the chassis before he spoke.
Deathworld
Harry Harrison
Hugh gripped the side of the chassis as the secret was mentioned.
King of Ranleigh
F. S. (Frederick Sadlier) Brereton
So long as the car body would stand on the chassis it was not repaired.
The Iron Ration
George Abel Schreiner
It was a large wagon with a sort of house built on the chassis.
Ticktock and Jim
Keith Robertson
You have slept at the wheel and in the chassis, after hours of work.
Our Part in the Great War
Arthur Gleason

British Dictionary definitions for chassis

chassis

noun plural -sis (-sɪz)

the steel frame, wheels, engine, and mechanical parts of a motor vehicle, to which the body is attached

electronics a mounting for the circuit components of an electrical or electronic device, such as a radio or television

the landing gear of an aircraft

obsolete a wooden framework for a window, screen, etc

the frame on which a cannon carriage moves backwards and forwards

slang the body of a person, esp a woman

Word Origin for chassis

C17 (meaning: window frame): from French châssis frame, from Vulgar Latin capsicum (unattested), ultimately from Latin capsa case ²

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

Word Origin and History for chassis

"base frame of an automobile," 1903, American English; earlier "window frame" (1660s), from French châssis "frame," Old French chassiz (13c.) "frame, framework, setting," from chasse "case, box, eye socket, snail's shell, setting (of a jewel)," from Latin capsa "box, case;" see case (n.2) + French -is, collective suffix for a number of parts taken together. Cf. sash (n.2).