Chain

(chon.) [Fr. chaîne, from L. catena.] A series of connected rings or links fitted into one another, excepting the first and the last.-(Naut.) Chains, or Chainplates, on shipboard, are strong links or plates of iron, the lower ends of which are bolted through a ship's sides to the timbers.-(Surveying.) A measure of length, made ofa certain number of links of iron wire, serving to take the dimensions of land, . Gunter's chain consists of 100 such links, each 7.92 inches in length, and, consequently, the chain is equal to 66 ft. or 4 poles. [s. 162]