Jump To:

• chine
  chine

  noun

  a ravine formed in rock by the action of running water.
• chiné
  chiné

  adjective

  noting or pertaining to a fabric having a variegated pattern produced by warp threads that have been dyed, printed, or painted before weaving.

chine

¹ American  

[chahyn] / tʃaɪn /

noun

British Dialect.

1. a ravine formed in rock by the action of running water.

---

chine ² American  

[chahyn] / tʃaɪn /

noun

1. the backbone or spine, especially of an animal.

2. the whole or a piece of the backbone of an animal with adjoining parts, cut for cooking.

3. a ridge or crest, as of land.

4. 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, chining

1. (in butchering) to sever the backbone of.

chine ³ American  

[chahyn] / tʃaɪn /

noun

1. chime.

---

chiné ⁴ American  

[shee-ney] / ʃiˈneɪ /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a fabric having a variegated pattern produced by warp threads that have been dyed, printed, or painted before weaving.

---

chine ¹ British  

/ tʃaɪn /

noun

1. the backbone

2. the backbone of an animal with adjoining meat, cut for cooking

3. a ridge or crest of land

4. (in some boats) a corner-like intersection where the bottom meets the side

---

verb

1. (tr) to cut (meat) along or across the backbone

chine ² British  

/ tʃaɪn /

noun

1. another word for chime 2

---

chine ³ British  

/ tʃaɪn /

noun

1. dialect a deep fissure in the wall of a cliff

---

chiné ⁴ British  

/ ˈʃiːneɪ /

adjective

1. textiles having a mottled pattern

---

Etymology

Origin of chine¹

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”

Origin of chine²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English chine, schine, Anglo-French achine, from Old French eschine, from Germanic; cf. shin ¹

Origin of chiné⁴

1850–55; < French, past participle of chiner, verbal derivative of Chine China

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chine chiné chined chining

Verdon Winkler employs multiple techniques, notably drypoint and chine collé, to produce gauzier, almost painterly images in what might be called a rainbow of grays.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 7, 2021

Near the barges on the south shore of Emerald Bay is a hard chine skiff, a fishing boat measuring 15 feet in length.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 12, 2018

The evening, too, in this impeccable collection was a sliver of simplicity that comes from understanding fabrics and their subtle decoration, like a print of orchid on crêpe de chine.

From New York Times ● Jul. 2, 2012

Drop-waisted apron dresses in ivory and tan crepe de chine were layered over linen blouses, while slouchy trousers and shorts were paired with boxy button-down shirts.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2011

Mrs. Corcoran came down about twenty minutes later, in black crepe de chine, riffling through a quilted-leather clutch.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

The body is open, and there is a chiné, or clouded band, about an inch from the edge.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine No. XVI.?September, 1851?Vol. III. by Various

They spoke of a salmon or a gurnard as chined, a sole as loined, a haddock as sided, an eel as trousoned, a pike as splatted, and a trout as gobbeted.

From Old Cookery Books and Ancient Cuisine by Hazlitt, William Carew

He died on this march, in the bloom of life, of a malignant fever, at Otranto, before he had acquired the knightly merit of chining a single Saracen.

From Translations from the German (Vol 3 of 3) Tales by Musaeus, Tieck, Richter by Carlyle, Thomas

Related Words

• carve
• divide
• rip
• slash
• slice