What does chined mean?
'Chined' is a technical adjective describing something that has been given, or stripped of, its chine — the word for the backbone or spine of an animal, especially as it appears in cuts of meat such as loin or saddle. In butchery, a chined joint has been split along the backbone so it lies flat and carves cleanly; cooks and chefs use the term when specifying how meat should be prepared. The same word crossed into boatbuilding: a chined hull is one whose sides meet the bottom at a distinct angle rather than blending into a rounded curve, giving small craft like skiffs and early powerboats their crisp, faceted look. Derived from Old French eschine and ultimately Latin spina ('thorn, spine'), 'chined' shares ancestry with 'spine' itself. Though uncommon in everyday speech, it is precise and useful wherever meat preparation or hull design is discussed.
Having had the chine or backbone removed or split; (of a hull) built with an angled junction between sides and bottom rather than a rounded turn.
"The butcher delivered a chined saddle of venison for the banquet."
Commonly found in compound forms such as 'hard-chined' in nautical contexts.
Past tense and past participle of the verb 'chine': to cut meat along or remove the backbone from.
"She chined the pork loin before rubbing it with herbs."
A 'hard-chined' speedboat gets its distinctive sharp-edged hull shape from the same word that names the backbone of your Sunday roast — Old French eschine, from Latin spina.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chined
Chined derives from 'chine', the English name for the backbone of an animal, especially as a joint of meat. 'Chine' comes from Old French eschine (Modern French échine, 'backbone'), which traces back to Latin spina, meaning 'thorn' or 'spine'. This makes 'chined' a direct cousin of the English words 'spine' and 'spinal'. Its use extended metaphorically to boatbuilding, where the angular junction of a hull's sides and bottom became known as the chine, yielding terms like 'hard-chined'.
Related word forms
How chined is actually used
Mostly technical vocabulary, encountered in butchery and cookery writing on the meat side and in boatbuilding and naval architecture on the marine side. The participial form is also used as the past tense of the verb 'to chine' (to cut meat along the backbone).
Easily confused with chined
'Chined' relates to the backbone (the chine) of meat or the angular joint of a boat's hull, whereas 'chinned' relates to the chin, as in doing pull-ups by lifting one's chin over a bar.