Chainring

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A toothed metal ring attached to a bicycle's crankset that engages with the chain to transfer pedaling power to the wheels
2. The sprocket ring mounted on a bicycle crank that meshes with the chain to drive the bike forward
3. A circular gear with teeth on a bicycle's crank assembly that catches and propels the chain around the drivetrain

Etymology: "Chainring" is about as transparent as compounds get: a chain combined with a ring. The toothed wheel on a bicycle's pedal crank, which the chain loops around, is the chainring, so the name describes exactly what the part is, with no metaphor involved. The two halves carry their own histories. "Chain" came into English from Old French "chaine," ultimately from Latin "catena," and "ring" is an Old English word with Germanic roots, so the compound joins a Romance-derived noun to a native one. Bicycle makers used the phrase to name the sprocket that drives the chain, and the same pattern gives English related terms like "sprocket wheel" and "chainwheel."

Synonyms: chainwheel, sprocket