chimney

[ chim-nee ]

/ ˈtʃɪm ni /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chimney ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural chim·neys.

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.

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

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

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

Geology.

the vent of a volcano.
a narrow vertical fissure between two rock faces or in a rock formation.

Mining. a nearly vertical cylindrical oreshoot.

British Dialect. fireplace.

verb (used with object), chim·neyed, chim·ney·ing.

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), chim·neyed, chim·ney·ing.

Mountain Climbing. to ascend or descend a chimney.

Nearby words

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 -ate¹

Related formschim·ney·less, adjectivechim·ney·like, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for chimney

But the one that seems to have changed her—stuck with her—is the one of her fall down that chimney.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction|Abby Haglage|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then get your parents, friends, roommates, children, neighbors, cats, & chimney sweeps to vote, too.
Vote for The Daily Beast at the Webby Awards!|The Daily Beast|April 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There is no chimney at the headquarters of the Chief Rabbinate in north London.
Lord Jonathan Sacks In Retrospect|Paul Usiskin|March 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When the smoke wafts out after sunset, the chimney will be lit with a spotlight.
‘Habemus Who?’ A Daunting Task at the Papal Conclave|Barbie Latza Nadeau|March 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Like the old twisted metal sign that simply says “DOGS,” which hangs on the exposed brick of my chimney.
Rebecca Skloot: How I Write|Noah Charney|March 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Professor of Odd Jobs occupied the seat of honor in the arm chair in the chimney corner.
Ishmael|Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
"Perfectly suah," she answered with a laugh, then leaning back in the chimney corner again, opened the third letter.
The Little Colonel's Knight Comes Riding|Annie Fellows Johnston
The blaze, red and yellow, and with elusive purple gleams, leaped up the chimney.
His "Day In Court"|Charles Egbert Craddock (AKA Mary Noailles Murfree)
I feel as if the chimney were still hot but that you had drenched the fire in the grate.
The Last Shot|Frederick Palmer
In general where they had large families, they would have two rooms with a chimney in the middle of the house.
Slave Narratives: Arkansas Narratives|Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for chimney

chimney

/ (ˈtʃɪmnɪ) /

noun

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

another name for flue 1 (def. 1)

short for chimney stack

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

British a fireplace, esp an old and large one

geology

a cylindrical body of an ore, which is usually oriented vertically
the vent of a volcano

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

anything resembling a chimney in shape or function

Word Origin for chimney

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

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 chimney

chimney

late 13c., "furnace;" early 14c., "chimney stack of a fireplace;" late 14c., "fireplace in a residential space;" from Old French cheminee "fireplace; room with a fireplace; hearth; chimney stack" (12c., Modern French cheminée), from Late Latin (camera) caminata "fireplace; room with a fireplace," from Latin caminatus, adjective of caminus "furnace, forge; hearth, oven; flue," from Greek kaminos "furnace, oven, brick kiln." Jamieson [1808] notes that in vulgar use in Scotland it always is pronounced "chimley." Chimney sweep attested from 1610s, earlier chimney sweeper (c.1500).

Science definitions for chimney