chassis

noun

chas·​sis ˈcha-sē  ˈsha-sē 

 also  ˈcha-səs

plural chassis ˈcha-sēz 

ˈsha-sēz

: the supporting frame of a structure (such as an automobile or television)

Leaf springs are attached to the car's chassis.

also : the frame and working parts (as of an automobile or electronic device) exclusive of the body or housing

Examples of chassis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 has similar aesthetics to the Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 with a slightly cheaper bill of materials; the chassis is mostly plastic, though a metal lid lends a somewhat more premium feel. —Mark Knapp, PCMAG, 10 June 2024

Oddly, the Sinaloa Drug Cartel May Own an F1 McLaren F1 chassis no. —Sean Evans, Robb Report, 21 May 2024

Today in history On this day in 1914, Ford Motor Co. greatly improved its assembly-line operation by employing an endless chain to pull each chassis along at its Highland Park, Michigan, plant. —The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2024

In 1958 Ford Motor Company built a model chassis for the Nucleon, which would be powered by steam from a microreactor. —Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French châssis "window sash, cold frame, frame holding cloth to be painted or embroidered, supporting frame of a motor vehicle," going back to Old French chasiz "window frame" from casse (Anglo-Norman & Norman dialect) "reliquary" (Middle French chasse "frame, mount") + -iz, denominal collective suffix, often of things linked or intertwined, of uncertain origin — more at case entry 2

Note: To judge by the derivative chasiz, attested already in the twelfth century (Roman d'Énéas), the meaning "frame" of casse/chasse is older than its first Middle French attestation in the fourteenth century. Presumably the Latin source capsa had developed more than one sense, all subsumable under the meaning "something holding or enclosing" in Gallo-Romance.

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chassis

noun

chas·​sis ˈshas-ē  ˈchas-ē 

plural chassis -ēz 

: a supporting frame (as that of the body of an automobile or airplane or the parts of a radio or television receiver)