Chapters
/ˈtʃæptərz/
nounBeginnerVery CommonLiterature
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
A major division of a book, usually numbered.
/ˈtʃæptərz/
nounneutralBeginner
Literature
A main division of a book, typically numbered.
This chapter describes the hero's journey.
💡 Simply: Imagine a book is like a big story, and chapters are like smaller stories within the big one, each with its own number.
👶 For kids: It's like a page in a big book!
More Examples
2
The book has 20 chapters.
How It's Used
Literature
"The novel's concluding chapter was particularly moving."
Education
"We're currently studying Chapter 3 in our history class."
From Middle English chapiter, from Old French chapitre, from Latin capitulum, diminutive of caput "head", referring to the headings or sections of a book.
The word has been used to refer to divisions of books since the Middle Ages.
Memory tip
Think of 'cap' - a chapter is like a little 'cap' on a section of a book.
Practice
Base: chapter
chaptorschapters
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written