noun
chimney
CHIHM-nee
noun
1
A vertical structure that carries smoke and fumes up and out of a building.
"Smoke curled up from the cottage chimney."
"A chimney sweep came to clean out the soot."
2
A narrow vertical crack in a rock face that climbers can wedge themselves into.
"They climbed the chimney by pressing their backs against one side and their feet against the other."
How to Use Chimney
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe pipe or shaft that lets smoke escape from a fire — or, in climbing, a narrow vertical gap in rock.
Common pairings
chimney sweep
brick chimney
smoke from the chimney
Word Forms
chimneyed past tense, chimneys plural, chimnies plural, chimneys singular
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Etymology
From Old French cheminee, ultimately from Latin camīnus, itself from Greek kámīnos meaning "furnace".