chimney

[chim-nee]

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.

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

/ 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

chimney

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.

Other Word Forms

• chimneyless adjective
• chimneylike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chimney¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of chimney¹

C14: from Old French cheminée, from Late Latin camīnāta, from Latin camīnus furnace, from Greek kaminos fireplace, oven

Example Sentences

He described it as a bioethanol fireplace that does not need a chimney flue, where liquid is poured on to a cotton gauze to create a "candle effect".

From BBC

Greenpeace said eight activists had scaled two of the chimney stacks at Staythorpe Power Station near Newark in a protest over the role gas plays in setting electricity prices.

From BBC

A massive bolt struck the metal chimney, raced down the pipe and tore into MacLeod’s right shoulder.

From Los Angeles Times

"There's a letter rack, ashtrays and even a tiny little sunroof - but it's not a sunroof at all, it's a chimney, because in 1925 everyone was smoking."

From BBC

The chimney was located atop a former Boy Scouts meeting house currently used as public works department storage, according to Salcedo.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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