a chink or cleft; a narrow and deep ravine; as, shanklin chine in the isle of wight, a quarter of a mile long and 230 feet deep.-the backbone or spine of an animal; the back.-a piece of the backbone of an animal, with the adjoining parts, cut for cooking. [see illust. of beef.]-the edge or rim of a cask, etc., formed by the projecting ends of the staves; the chamfered end of a stave.-to cut through the backbone of; to cut into chine pieces.-too chamfer the ends of a stave and form the chine..