chi

[ kahy ]

/ kaɪ /

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noun, plural chis.

the twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet (X, χ).

the consonant sound represented by this letter.

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Origin of chi

From Greek

Words nearby chi

Cheyne-Stokes respiration, chez, CHF, chg., Chhattisgarh, chi, chia, chiack, Chiai, Chian, Chiang Ch'ing

Other definitions for chi (2 of 4)

chi²

[ chee ]

/ tʃi /

noun Wade-Giles.

qi.

Other definitions for chi (3 of 4)

Chi

[ chahy ]

/ tʃaɪ /

noun

Chicago.

Origin of Chi

By shortening

Other definitions for chi (4 of 4)

Ch'i

[ chyee ]

/ tʃyi /

noun

one of two dynasties that ruled in China a.d. 479–502 and, as the Northern Ch'i, a.d. 550–77.

Also (Pinyin) Qi

[chœ] /tʃœ/ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use chi in a sentence

The wife and daughter were in stable condition after surgery, but Chi had nothing on her brother.
Asleep in their beachfront condos, they vanished into a mountain of rubble|Lori Rozsa, Marc Fisher, Derek Hawkins, Silvia Foster-Frau|June 24, 2021|Washington Post
Any number of Lee’s sandwiches could have made this list, but I’m particularly fond of the ba chi and pâté combination.
The 25 best sandwiches in the D.C. area|Tim Carman|June 16, 2021|Washington Post
Instead of a corsage, he brought me a plastic duck he'd stolen from a Chi Chi's restaurant.
Let Us Now Praise Famous Rednecks and Their Unjustly Unsung Kin|Allison Glock|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Local food cultures are rising up everywhere, not just in yuppified suburbs and chi-chi cities.
Whole Foods Is Getting Its Organic Lunch Eaten|Daniel Gross|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One is on African primal religions, another on the tao of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, another on the path to total rejuvenation.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou|John Ed Bradley|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By now I'm so overwrought with chi's and fu's and kong's and kung's that my eyes have about crossed.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou|John Ed Bradley|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
T'ai Chi is internal and soft, versus karate, which is external and hard.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou|John Ed Bradley|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For he knew who had triggered those three today, who the Chi torpedo the cops wanted was.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
He began likewise to sing the little air, Chi rende alla meschina; and was this, thought I, merely to ridicule me?
My Ten Years' Imprisonment|Silvio Pellico
E chi ne assicura, che il Boccaccio non fosse nato nella sua villa di Corbignano quivi poco distante?
Giovanni Boccaccio, a Biographical Study|Edward Hutton
All that region abounds in sweet, wild apples, from which the Indians concoct a fermented liquor which they call chi-chi.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy
At that moment Wu Chi was being confronted by his wife, who stood before him in his inner chamber.
Kai Lung's Golden Hours|Ernest Bramah

British Dictionary definitions for chi (1 of 2)

chi¹

/ (kaɪ) /

noun

the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet (Χ, χ), a consonant, transliterated as ch or rarely kh

British Dictionary definitions for chi (2 of 2)

chi²

ch'i or qi

/ (tʃiː) /

noun

(sometimes capital) (in Oriental medicine, martial arts, etc) vital energy believed to circulate round the body in currents

Word Origin for chi

Chinese, literally: energy

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

Medical definitions for chi (1 of 3)

The Greek letter chi. Entries beginning with this letter are alphabetized under chi.

Medical definitions for chi (2 of 3)

chi 2²

In traditional Chinese thought, the vital force believed to be inherent in all things. Unimpeded circulation of chi and a balance of its negative and positive forms in the body are held to be essential to good health.

Medical definitions for chi (3 of 3)

chi 1¹

The 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet.