CHIME
What does "CHIME" mean?
A ringing, musical sound, as of a bell or set of bells.
Meanings
- A bell or set of tuned bells, or the musical sound they make. The clock's chime echoed down the hall.
- To make a ringing musical sound; to sound the hour. The bells chimed nine across the village.
- To interject or add a remark, often unbidden (chime in). Everyone chimed in with their own theory. informal
Did you know?
- The familiar four-note doorbell and clock chime is the 'Westminster Quarters', a tune traditionally traced to Handel and first rung at Cambridge in 1793 before it spread to Big Ben and millions of front doors.
Word origin
From Middle English 'chymbe', ultimately from Latin 'cymbalum' and Greek 'kymbalon' (cymbal); through an Old French shortening and a Middle English reinterpretation the sense moved from cymbals to the tuned ringing of bells.
Remember it
CHIME contains 'I' at its centre, ringing like a single clear bell-tone between two consonant walls.
A little poem
The hour strikes itself-
four notes a dead composer
still rings at your door.
haiku
Wordplay
- I didn't want to interrupt, but the grandfather clock kept telling me to chime in.
What it teaches
A chime keeps no note for itself; its whole purpose is to give the sound away.
Quick facts
What does CHIME mean?
A ringing, musical sound, as of a bell or set of bells.
Is CHIME a valid word?
Yes — CHIME is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is CHIME?
CHIME has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does CHIME come from?
From Middle English 'chymbe', ultimately from Latin 'cymbalum' and Greek 'kymbalon' (cymbal); through an Old French shortening and a Middle English reinterpretation the sense moved from cymbals to the tuned ringing of bells.
What can CHIME teach us?
A chime keeps no note for itself; its whole purpose is to give the sound away.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.