n. 1. a. One of the main divisions of a relatively lengthy piece of writing, such as a book, that is usually numbered or titled. b. One of the main divisions of a video recording, usually accessible through an onscreen menu. 2. A distinct period or sequence of events, as in history or a person's life: Steamboat travel opened a new chapter in America's exploration of the West. 3. A local branch of an organization, such as a club or fraternity: The Chicago chapter is admitting new members this year. 4. Ecclesiastical a. An assembly of the canons of a church or of the members of a religious residence. b. The canons of a church or the members of a religious residence considered as a group. 5. A short scriptural passage read after the psalms in certain church services. [Middle English chaptre, variant of chapitre, chapter, chapiter, from Old French, alteration of chapitle, from Latin capitulum, diminutive of caput, head; see kaput- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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