English → Latin
“chain” in Latin
catēnachainvinculumAny instrument whereby anything is bound or tied up; bond, band, fetter, chain, cord, tie, link; a bond, obligation, bincontinuōto join, connect, unite, make continuous; to follow successively or uninterruptedly or immediately, pursuit; to extend, iuguma yoke (for oxen or cattle) or collar (for a horse); a yoke, pair, team of draft oxen; a pair of horses; a chariot; a jucontinuātiōcontinuationseriēsa row; a succession; a seriesiniciōto throw, cast, hurl or place in, on, into, upon, over or at; to grasp, seize, take hold of, lay one's hands upon; to se
The English word chain itself goes back to Latin catēna.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
chain s.
catena: vinculum (general term for bond): to put chains on anybody, catenas alicui indere or injicere: any body in chains, in catenas aliquem conjicere: to bind anybody with chains, catenis vincire or constringere aliquem: to be or lie in chains, in catenis esse; catenis or ferro vinctum esse: in fetters and chains, in vinculis et catenis esse: to forge chains for any body, alicui nectere catenas or vincula (Hor., Od., 1, 29, 5; Verg., Ecl., 6, 23): lying in chains, bound with chains, catenatus.
FIG., to break the chains of slavery, aliquem or se in libertatem vindicare. [Vid: YOKE of slavery.]
Chain for ornament, catena or catella (of gold, worn by either sex): torques (twisted chain of gold for the neck, worn as an honorary distinction by brave soldiers): wearing such a chain, torquatus.
MOUNTAIN CHAIN, montes continui; continua or perpetua montium juga; juga velut serie cohaerentia. perpetuo jugo juncti colles; saltus montibus circum perpetuis inter se juncti; jugum, quod montes perpetuo dorso inter se jungit.
Connected series, continuatio; series. (The words are found in this connection and order), continuatio seriesque: catena was first used by Gell. in fatum est sempiterna series rerum et catena. A wonderful chain of circumstances, admirabilis continuatio seriesque rerum. A chain of causes, causae aliae ex aliis aptae et necessitate nexae.
chain v.
catenis vincire or constringere aliquem, catenas alicui indere or injicere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for chain?
- The usual Latin words for “chain” are catēna, vinculum, continuō; also iugum, continuātiō, seriēs. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.