Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

1chine

noun \ˈchīn\

Definition of CHINE

1
:  backbone, spine; also :  a cut of meat including all or part of the backbone
2
:  the intersection of the bottom and the sides of a flat or V-bottomed boat
See chine defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of CHINE

Middle English, from Anglo-French eschine, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German scina shinbone, needle — more at shin
First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CHINE

Synonyms
backbone, spine, spinal column, vertebral column

Rhymes with CHINE

bine, brine, cline, dine, dyne, fine, Jain, line, Main, mine, nine, pine, Quine, Rhine, rind, shine, shrine, sign, spine, spline, stein, swine, syne, thine, tine, trine, twine, vine, whine, wine

2chine

verb
chinedchin·ing

Definition of CHINE

transitive verb
:  to cut through the backbone of (as in butchering)

First Known Use of CHINE

15th century

Learn More About CHINE

Browse

5 ENTRIES FOUND:
  1. chine
  2. chine hoop
  3. blanc de chine
  4. crepe de chine
  5. mourning of the chine
Next Word in the Dictionary: ChineePrevious Word in the Dictionary: chindiAll Words Near: chine
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries