a series of usu metal links or rings connected to one another and used for various purposes, e.g. for support, restraining prisonerst, or as jewellery or a badge of office decoration
a piece of jewellery or badge of office consisting of such a series of links
a unit of length equal to 66ft (about 20.12m)
a measuring instrument of 100 links used in surveying
(usu in pl) something that confines, restrains, or secures
the chains of ignorance
a series of linked or connected things
a chain of events
a mountain chain
a group of associated establishments, e.g. shops or hotels, under the same ownership
a number of atoms or chemical groups united like links in a chain
[Middle English cheyne via Old Frenchfrom Latin catena]