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chine

1
[ chahyn ]
/ tʃaɪn /
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See synonyms for: chine / chined / chining on Thesaurus.com
noun British Dialect.
a ravine formed in rock by the action of running water.
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Origin of chine

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English chine, chinne, chin, Old English cīne, cȳne “crevice, fissure”; cognate with Middle Dutch kēne; compare Old English cīnan “to gape, crack open”

Words nearby chine

Chincoteague pony, chin cough, Chindia, Chindit, Chindwin, chine, Chinee, Chinese, Chinese artichoke, Chinese block, Chinese boxes

Other definitions for chine (2 of 4)

chine2
[ chahyn ]
/ tʃaɪn /
noun
the backbone or spine, especially of an animal.
the whole or a piece of the backbone of an animal with adjoining parts, cut for cooking.
a ridge or crest, as of land.
Nautical.
  1. an angular intersection of the sides and bottom of a vessel.
  2. a longitudinal member running behind this.
verb (used with object), chined, chin·ing.
(in butchering) to sever the backbone of.

Origin of chine

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English chine, schine, Anglo-French achine, from Old French eschine, from Germanic; cf. shin1

Other definitions for chine (3 of 4)

chine3
[ chahyn ]
/ tʃaɪn /
noun
chime2.

Other definitions for chine (4 of 4)

chiné
[ shee-ney ]
/ ʃiˈneɪ /
adjective
noting or pertaining to a fabric having a variegated pattern produced by warp threads that have been dyed, printed, or painted before weaving.

Origin of chiné

1850–55; <French, past participle of chiner, verbal derivative of Chine China
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to chine

ridge, hill, rim, bone, vertebrae, carve, divide, rip, slash, slice, aigrette, caruncle, cockscomb, comb, crown, feather, hogback, mane, panache, plume

How to use chine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chine (1 of 4)

chine1
/ (tʃaɪn) /
noun
the backbone
the backbone of an animal with adjoining meat, cut for cooking
a ridge or crest of land
(in some boats) a corner-like intersection where the bottom meets the side
verb
(tr) to cut (meat) along or across the backbone

Word Origin for chine

C14: from Old French eschine, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German scina needle, shinbone; see shin 1

British Dictionary definitions for chine (2 of 4)

chine2
/ (tʃaɪn) /
noun
another word for chime 2

British Dictionary definitions for chine (3 of 4)

chine3
/ (tʃaɪn) /
noun
Southern English dialect a deep fissure in the wall of a cliff

Word Origin for chine

Old English cīnan to crack

British Dictionary definitions for chine (4 of 4)

chiné
/ (ˈʃiːneɪ) /
adjective
textiles having a mottled pattern

Word Origin for chiné

C19: from French chiner to make in the Chinese fashion, from Chine China
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
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