English
chain
Chain comes from Middle English cheyne, from Old French chaeine, from Latin catēna ‘chain’, of unknown further origin.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*katesnāreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcatēna‘chain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400chaeine‘chain’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cheyne‘a chain’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588chain
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*katesnāreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcatēna‘chain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400chaeine‘chain’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cheyne‘a chain’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588chain
Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “And gainſt the General we will lift our ſwords…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kat- ‘to braid, twist’
through Latin catēna
Today it means
noun A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *katesnā / chain