chine1
/
tʃʌɪn/
n.
- the backbone of an animal as it appears in a joint of meat.
▸a joint of meat containing all or part of the backbone.
- a mountain ridge.
v.
cut (meat) across or along the backbone.
Etymology
ME: from OFr. eschine, based on a blend of L. spina ‘spine’ and a Gmc word meaning ‘narrow piece’; rel. to shin.
chine2
/
tʃʌɪn/
n.
(in the Isle of Wight or Dorset) a deep narrow ravine.
Etymology
OE cinu ‘cleft, chink’, of Gmc origin; rel. to chink1.
chine3
/
tʃʌɪn/
n.
the angle where the strakes of the bottom of a boat or ship meet the side.
Etymology
ME: var. of chime2.