the small pieces of cardboard or paper removed during the punching of holes in computer printer paper, paper tape, etc
Word origin
C20: perhaps based on chaff1
Chad in British English
(tʃæd)
noun
1.
a republic in N central Africa: made a territory of French Equatorial Africa in 1910; became independent in 1960; contains much desert and the Tibesti Mountains, with Lake Chad in the west; produces chiefly cotton and livestock; suffered intermittent civil war from 1963 and prolonged drought. Official languages: Arabic; French. Religion: Muslim majority, also Christian and animist. Currency: franc. Capital: N’Djaména. Pop: 14 899 994 (2017 est). Area: 1 284 000 sq km (495 750 sqmiles)
French name: Tchad
2. Lake Chad
Chad in American English1
(tʃæd)
noun
a masculine name
Chad in American English2
(tʃæd)
1.
country in NC Africa, south of Libya: formerly a French territory, it became independent in 1960: 495,755 sq mi (1,284,000 sq km); pop. 6,288,000; cap. N'Djamena
2.
Lakelake mostly in Chad, at the juncture of the Chad, Niger, Cameroon, and Nigeria borders: 4,000-10,000 sq mi (10,360-25,900 sq km), reflecting seasonal fluctuation
Derived forms
Chadian (ˈChadian)
adjective, noun
chad in American English
(tʃæd)
noun
any of the bits of paper that are separated from a punch card in the process of making the holes in it