Dictionary

chapter en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈt͡ʃæptɚ/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English chapitre, from Old French chapitre, from Latin capitulum (“a chapter of a book, in Medieval Latin also a synod or council”), diminutive of caput (“a head”); see capital, capitulum, and chapiter, which are doublets of chapter.

Meanings

1. One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.
   • The story that unfolds through 70 chapters featuring intense tactical battles is full of plot twists and turns. 2003 December 14, “Fire Emblem”, in Nintendo Power, volume 174, Strategy with a Story, page 33:
   • Detective novel writers try to keep up the suspense until the last chapter.
   • At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum. 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
2. One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book. ▸ A section of a work, a collection of works, or fragments of works, often manuscripts or transcriptions, created by scholars or advocates, not the original authors, to aid in finding portions of the texts.
   • CHAPTER - One of the principal divisions of a book, and, in reference to the Bible, one of the larger sections into which its books are divided. This division, as well as that consisting of verses, was introduced to facilitate reference, and not to indicate any natural or accurate division of the subjects treated in the books. 1842, Walter Farquahar Hook, A Church Dictionary, published 1896:
   • At least thirty-two of the first forty-seven decretal chapters were received by English ecclesiastics, 1963, Charles Duggan, Twelfth-century Decretal Collections and Their Importance in English History, page 127:
   • From canon law, he cited Gratian's Decretum, Gregory's Decretales, the Sexto and Clementines Decretales, and the Extravagantes, and specifically referred to “the rules for understanding the Law” in a decretal chapter on Propterea. 2021, David T. Orique, The Unheard Voice of Law in Bartolomé de Las Casas’s Brevísima Relación de la Destruición de las Indias, page 97:
   • il conclut: « No pope, no collection but the masters who served the one and commented on the other ultimately determined the content of this decretal chapter». 1983, Revue théologique de Louvain - Volume 14, page 127:
   • But unlike a similar annotation, it has not been turned into a chapter title because the annotation “de quodam hermita” (Of a certain hermit) immediately preceded it. If a scribe had also turned Liberauit Dominus hermitam into a chapter title, he would have created a chapter that consisted of a single sentence, which even for a rather dull scribe would seem unacceptable. […] While scribe A wrote the body of the text of the De nugis curialium, scribe X contributed the rubricated chapter headings. 2017, Joshua Byron Smith, Walter Map and the Matter of Britain, page 67:
   • While rubrics do not appear in paper manuscripts, eight paper manuscripts contain chapter titles, which serve the same function as the medieval rubrics. 2018, Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, Emily Lethbridge, New Studies in the Manuscript Tradition of Njáls saga, page xvii:
   • Characteristics: parchment; 92 fols.; 260 × 180 mm.; 32 lines; Italy; ca. 1430; two hands: humanistic rotunda with some Gothic features; marginal notes by first hand and names by a second hand; space left for initials; rubric inscriptions; superscript variants by first hand; chapters marked in margin; horizontal catchwords; quaternions. 2018, David J. Hunt, A Textual History of Cicero's Academici Libri, page 152:
3. Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law) ▸ An assembly of monks, prebendaries and/or other clergymen connected with a cathedral, conventual or collegiate church, or of a diocese, usually presided over by the dean.
4. Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law) ▸ A community of canons or canonesses.
5. Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law) ▸ A bishop's council.
6. A section of a social body. ▸ An administrative division of an organization, usually local to a specific area.
7. A section of a social body. ▸ An organized branch of some society or fraternity, such as the Freemasons.
   • If the By-Law which admits honorary members is silent upon their rights, they may perhaps be determined by a consideration of which of these classes was intended by the Chapter in admitting them 1862, The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine:
8. A meeting of a chapter of certain organized societies or orders.
9. A chapter house
10. A sequence (of events), especially when presumed related and likely to continue.
    • 1866, Wilkie Collins, Armadale, Book the Last, Chapter I, "You know that Mr. Armadale is alive," pursued the doctor, "and you know that he is coming back to England. Why do you continue to wear your widow's dress?" ¶ She answered him without an instant's hesitation, steadily going on with her work. ¶ "Because I am of a sanguine disposition, like you. I mean to trust to the chapter of accidents to the very last. Mr. Armadale may die yet, on his way home."
    • […]she determined to go on slowly towards Castra Regis, and trust to the chapter of accidents to pick up the trail again. 1911, Bram Stoker, chapter 26, in The Lair of the White Worm:
    • With the entry into service of the '777s', a new chapter opens in the long history of Merseyside's electric suburban railwsys. 2023 February 8, Tony Streeter, “Kirkdale: home to Merseyrail's new '777s'”, in RAIL, number 976, page 36:
    • A chapter of locomotive history was closed on Sunday, April 13, when the last Atlantic tender locomotive to remain in service on British Railways, No. 32424, Beachy Head, ended its working life of more than 46 years. 1958 June 14, “The Last British Atlantic”, in Railway Magazine, page 383:
11. (obsolete) A location or compartment.
    • In his bosom! In what chapter of his bosom? c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:
12. A prescribed reading at one of the canonical hours.

Forms

Deriveds

chapter and verse · dean and chapter · chapterful · chapterwise · midchapter · multichapter · chapter house · chapterplay · chapter out · chapter book · microchapter · subchapter · interchapter · chapter of accidents · go Chapter 11 · chapterlike · to the end of the chapter

Descendants

tsapter · چپتر

Relateds

capitalism · rubric · chapiter · captain · capital · per capita · overarching · marginalia · capitulation · magerina · capitulate

Synonyms

capitule · ch. · chpt. · chap.

Translations (169)

cmn 支部 (a division of an organization) · gu પ્રકરણ (section in a book) · ca capítol (section in a book) · es capítulo (ecclesiastical body) · id bagian (section in a book) · ur فَصْل (section in a book) · ky глава (section in a book) · fr chapitre (ecclesiastical body) · io chapitro (section in a book) · de Ortsverband (a division of an organization) · ml അദ്ധ്യായം (section in a book) · ru глава́ (section in a book) · km ចំពូក (section in a book) · grc κεφάλαιον (section in a book) · pt capítulo (a division of an organization) · ca divisió (a division of an organization) · ru капитул (ecclesiastical body) · et peatükk (section in a book) · sq kapitull (section in a book) · bn অধ্যায় (section in a book) · de Kapitel (section in a book) · ny mutu (section in a book) · th ตอน (section in a book) · yue 章 (section in a book) · yi קאַפּיטל (section in a book) · ar بَاب (section in a book) · pl kapituła (ecclesiastical body) · sh odjeljénje (a division of an organization) · gl capítulo (section in a book) · lv nodaļa (section in a book) · ka თავი (section in a book) · he פֶּרֶק (section in a book) · th บท (section in a book) · ru филиа́л (a division of an organization) · fr section (a division of an organization) · la capitulum (section in a book) · nl kapittel (section in a book) · tr bölüm (section in a book) · tl kabanata (section in a book) · nl hoofdstuk (section in a book) · pl rozdział (section in a book) · ang capitul (section in a book) · pl dział (a division of an organization) · enm chapitre (ecclesiastical body) · az fəsil (section in a book) · sh по̀гла̄вље (section in a book) · cop ⲕⲉⲫⲁⲗⲁⲓⲟⲛ (section in a book) · ur باب (section in a book) · ru отделе́ние (a division of an organization) · cy pennod (section in a book) · cmn 章節 /章节 (section in a book) · id bab (section in a book) · hi शाखा (a division of an organization) · fr branche (a division of an organization) · sh pòdružnica (a division of an organization) · la capitulum (ecclesiastical body) · wa tchaptrê (section in a book) · kk тарау (section in a book) · enm chapitre (section in a book) · yue 章節 /章节 (section in a book) · te ప్రకరణము (section in a book) · eu kapitulu (section in a book) · sh gláva (section in a book) · ru разде́л (section in a book) · es sección (a division of an organization) · sw sura (a division of an organization) · sga caiptel (section in a book) · ang hēafodweard (section in a book) · my ခန်း (section in a book) · de Verband (a division of an organization) · ro capitol (section in a book) · chr ᎠᏯᏙᏢᎢ (section in a book) · ko 장절 (section in a book) · ar فَصْل (section in a book) · hi अध्याय (section in a book) · el κεφάλαιο (section in a book) · hi खंड (section in a book) · fa-ira فَرْگَرْد (section in a book) · sk odsek (section in a book) · ast capítulu (section in a book) · sa काण्ड (section in a book) · nb kapittel (section in a book) · kl kapitali (section in a book) · de Kapitel (ecclesiastical body) · hu káptalan (ecclesiastical body) · sh odeljénje (a division of an organization) · hi खंड (a division of an organization) · ja 章 (section in a book) · sw sura (section in a book) · cmn 章 (section in a book) · vi chương (section in a book) · hi बाब (section in a book) · es capítulo (a division of an organization) · aii ܩܹܦܵܠܹܐܘܿܢ (section in a book) · fi pykälä (section in a book) · fi osasto (a division of an organization) · ms bab (section in a book) · pl filia (a division of an organization) · be раздзе́л (section in a book) · uk ро́зділ (section in a book) · sh гла́ва (section in a book) · da kapitel (section in a book) · nl kapittel (ecclesiastical body) · ky тароо (section in a book) · mk поглавје (section in a book) · cs kapitola (section in a book) · txb sargga (section in a book) · uz fasl (section in a book) · lt skyrius (section in a book) · es sede (a division of an organization) · mn бүлэг (section in a book) · ug باب (section in a book) · es capítulo (section in a book) · wa tchapite (section in a book) · pt divisão (a division of an organization) · ur کھَنْڈ (section in a book) · hy գլուխ (section in a book) · ga caibidil (section in a book) · sv kapitel (section in a book) · ba бүлек (section in a book) · sk kapitola (section in a book) · it capitolo (section in a book) · my အခန်း (section in a book) · nn kapittel (section in a book) · fi luku (section in a book) · hi खण्ड (section in a book) · la caput (section in a book) · de Abschnitt (section in a book) · fa-ira باب (section in a book) · br pennad (section in a book) · sh по̀дружница (a division of an organization) · uz bob (section in a book) · hu fejezet (section in a book) · uk глава́ (section in a book) · ko 장 (section in a book) · chr ᎠᏯᏙᎸᎢ (section in a book) · hi चैप्टर (section in a book) · cs hlava (section in a book) · fr chapitre (section in a book) · lo ບົດ (section in a book) · ee ta (section in a book) · sa अध्याय (section in a book) · ja 章節 (section in a book) · bg глава́ (section in a book) · br chabistr (section in a book) · sh pòglāvlje (section in a book) · sh одеље́ње (a division of an organization) · es sucursal (a division of an organization) · sv avdelning (a division of an organization) · is kafli (section in a book) · mk глава (section in a book) · de Sektion (a division of an organization) · am ምዕራፍ (section in a book) · sq krye (section in a book) · fa-ira فَصْل (section in a book) · gd caibideil (section in a book) · sl poglavje (section in a book) · izh glava (section in a book) · km កណ្ឌ (section in a book) · tg фасл (section in a book) · eo ĉapitro (section in a book) · be глава́ (section in a book) · km កថាភាគ (section in a book) · sk hlava (section in a book) · tk bap (section in a book) · gl cabido (a division of an organization) · sh одјеље́ње (a division of an organization) · pt capítulo (section in a book) · tg боб (section in a book)

chapter en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈt͡ʃæptɚ/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English chapitre, from Old French chapitre, from Latin capitulum (“a chapter of a book, in Medieval Latin also a synod or council”), diminutive of caput (“a head”); see capital, capitulum, and chapiter, which are doublets of chapter.

Meanings

1. To divide into chapters.
2. To put into a chapter.
3. (with "out") To use administrative procedure to remove someone.
   • "He also wanted me to give you a message. He said that if you don't get your shit ready for this deployment, then he will chapter you out of his freakin' army." 2006, Thomas R. Schombert, Diaries of a Soldier: Nightmares from Within, page 100:
   • If you're a single parent [soldier] and you can't find someone to take care of your children, they will chapter you out [administrative elimination from the service]. And yet if you use someone not certified, they get mad. 2001, John Palmer Hawkins, Army of Hope, Army of Alienation: Culture and Contradiction in the American Army Communities of Cold War Germany, page 117:
4. (transitive) To take to task.

Forms