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chink

Pronunciation: /t͡ʃɪŋk/

The English word “chink” has 11 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack.
  2. A narrow beam or patch of light admitted by such an opening.
  3. A chip or dent in something metallic.
  4. A vulnerability or flaw in a protection system or in any otherwise formidable system.
  5. A slight sound as of metal objects touching each other; a clink.
  6. Ready money, especially in the form of coins.

verb

  1. To fill an opening such as the space between logs in a log house with chinking; to caulk.
  2. To crack; to open.
  3. To cause to open in cracks or fissures.
  4. To make a slight sound like that of metal objects touching.
  5. To cause to make a sharp metallic sound, as coins, small pieces of metal, etc., by bringing them into collision with each other.

Etymology

Of uncertain origin, but apparently an extension, with diminutive -k (see more at -ock), of Middle English chine (or, if already suffixed in Middle English, *chinek), from Old English ċine (“a crack, chine, chink”), equivalent to chine + -k.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.