Chapter

/ˈtʃæptər/

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonStructure
1 meaning1 question

Definitions

1

A major division of a book, typically numbered and with a title.

/ˈtʃæptər/

nounneutralBeginner
Structure

A main division of a book

The thrilling chapter ended on a cliffhanger.

💡 Simply: Imagine a book is like a story house. Each room in the story house is a chapter, and each room tells a part of the story.

👶 For kids: It's like a part of a book. Each part has its own story.

More Examples

2

I'm currently reading chapter five of the book.

How It's Used

Literature

"The first chapter of the novel introduced the main characters."

Academic Writing

"Each chapter of the thesis addresses a specific research question."

From Middle English chapitre, from Old French chapitre, from Latin capitulum, diminutive of caput "head", referring to a heading or section of a book.

The word 'chapter' has consistently referred to divisions of books since its adoption into Middle English.

Memory tip

Think of a 'chap'ter as a 'head' (caput in Latin) or section of a book.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"Head or section"

Base: chapter
chapter headingchapter and versenext chapter

Common misspellings

chaperchapeter

Usage

20%Spoken
80%Written