Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHINE, n. [Fr. echine; It. schiena; Arm. chein. It may be allied to chin. In German, schiene is the shin, also a clout, a splint; and rad-schiene is the band of a wheel; Russ. schina.]

1. The back-bone, or spine of an animal.
2. A piece of the back-bone of an animal, with the adjoining parts, cut for cooking.
3. The chime of a cask, or the ridge formed by the ends of the staves. – Stat. of Pennsylvania.