chin

[chin]

noun

the lower extremity of the face, below the mouth.

the prominence of the lower jaw.

Informal. chin-up.

verb (used with object), chinned, chin·ning.

Gymnastics.

to bring one's chin up to (a horizontal bar, from which one is hanging by the hands), by bending the elbows.
to raise (oneself) to this position.

to raise or hold to the chin, as a violin.

Archaic. to talk to; chatter with.

verb (used without object), chinned, chin·ning.

Gymnastics. to chin oneself.

Slang. to talk; chatter: We sat up all night chinning about our college days.

Idioms

keep one's chin up, to maintain a cheerful disposition in spite of difficulties, disappointments, etc.Also chin up.

take it on the chin, Informal.

to suffer defeat; fail completely.
to endure suffering or punishment.

Origin of chin

before 1000; Middle English; Old English cin(n); cognate with Dutch kin, German Kinn chin, Old Norse kinn, Gothic kinnus cheek, Latin gena, Greek génus chin, gnáthos jaw (see genial², -gnathous), Sanskrit hanus jaw

Related formschin·less, adjectiveun·der·chin, noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for keep one's chin up

chin

noun

the protruding part of the lower jaw

the front part of the face below the lipsRelated adjective: genial

keep one's chin up to keep cheerful under difficult circumstancesSometimes shortened to: chin up!

take it on the chin informal to face squarely up to a defeat, adversity, etc

verb chins, chinning or chinned

gymnastics to raise one's chin to (a horizontal bar, etc) when hanging by the arms

(tr) informal to punch or hit (someone) on the chin

Word Origin for chin

Old English cinn; related to Old Norse kinn, Old High German kinni, Latin gena cheek, Old Irish gin mouth, Sanskrit hanu

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 keep one's chin up

chin

Old English cin, cinn "chin" (but in some compounds suggesting an older, broader sense of "jawbone"); a general Germanic word (cf. Old Saxon and Old High German kinni; Old Norse kinn; German Kinn "chin;" Gothic kinnus "cheek"), from PIE root *genu- "chin, jawbone" (cf. Sanskrit hanuh, Avestan zanu- "chin;" Armenian cnawt "jawbone, cheek;" Lithuanian žándas "jawbone;" Greek genus "lower jaw," geneion "chin;" Old Irish gin "mouth," Welsh gen "jawbone, chin").

chin

1590s, "to press (affectionately) chin to chin," from chin (n.). Meaning "to bring to the chin" (of a fiddle) is from 1869. Slang meaning "talk, gossip" is from 1883, American English. Related: Chinned; chinning. Athletic sense of "raise one's chin over" (a raised bar, for exercise) is from 1880s.

keep one's chin up in Medicine

chin

[chĭn]

n.

The prominence formed by the anterior projection of the lower jaw.

Idioms and Phrases with keep one's chin up

keep one's chin up

Be stalwart and courageous in a difficult situation, as in Don't let the loan officer intimidate you; keep your chin up, or Despite all the difficulty, he kept his chin up. This expression alludes to a posture of firm resolution. [First half of 1900s]

chin

see keep one's chin up; lead with one's chin; take it on the chin.