chime

Wikipedia

English

Etymology

From Latin cymbalum (maybe via Old French chimbe).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈtʃaɪm/, X-SAMPA: /"tSaIm/
• Rhymes: -aɪm

Noun

chime (plural chimes)

1. (music) A musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to refer to the set: the chimes.

   Sylvia had a recording of someone playing the chimes against a background of surf noise that she found calming.

   Hugo was a chime player in the school orchestra.

2. An individual ringing component of such a set.

   Peter removed the C# chime from its mounting so that he could get at the dust that had accumulated underneath.

3. A small bell or other ringing or tone-making device as a component of some other device.

   The professor had stuffed a wad of gum into the chime of his doorbell so that he wouldn't be bothered.

4. The sound of such an instrument or device.

   The copier gave a chime to indicate that it had finished printing.

5. A small hammer or other device used to strike a bell.

   Strike the bell with the brass chime hanging on the chain next to it.

Derived terms

• chimist

Translations

musical instrument

• Bulgarian: камбанки (bg) (kambanki) pl
• Dutch: klok (nl)
• Finnish: kello (fi)

• French: carillon (fr) m
• Japanese: 鐘 (ja) (かね, kane)
• Russian: колокольчики (ru) (kolokól'čiki) pl

individual component thereof

• Bulgarian: камбанка (bg) (kambanka) f
• Finnish: kello (fi)

• Russian: колокольчик (ru) (kolokól'čik) m

ringing or tone-making component of a device

• Finnish: soittokello (fi)

• Russian: колокольчик (ru) (kolokól'čik) m, звонок (ru) (zvonók) m

sound made by a chime

• Bulgarian: камбанен звън (bg) (kambanen zvǎn) m
• Finnish: merkkiääni (fi), kellonsoitto (fi)

• Japanese: チャイム (ja) (chaimu)
• Russian: звон (ru) (zvon) m, звонок (ru) (zvonók) m

hammer or device to strike a bell

• Finnish: vasara (fi)

• Russian: молоток (ru) (molotók) m

Verb

chime (third-person singular simple present chimes, present participle chiming, simple past and past participle chimed)

1. (intransitive) To make the sound of a chime.

   The microwave chimed to indicate that it was done cooking.

   I got up for lunch as soon as the wall clock began chiming noon.

2. (transitive) To cause to sound in harmony; to play a tune, as upon a set of bells; to move or strike in harmony.
   • Dryden

     And chime their sounding hammers.

3. (transitive) To utter harmoniously; to recite rhythmically.
   • Byron

     Chime his childish verse.

4. (intransitive) To agree; to correspond.

   The other lab's results chimed with mine, so I knew we were on the right track with the research.

Translations

to make the sound of chime

• Finnish: soittaa (fi), hälyttää (fi)

• French: carillonner (fr)

to agree, correspond

• Finnish: sopia yhteen (fi), vastata (fi)

• Portuguese: combinar

Derived terms

• chime in, chime up

Anagrams

• hemic