chassis

/ˈtʃæsi/

/ˈtʃæsi/

A chassis is the frame of a car. If you warp the chassis of your mom’s car when you make a Dukes of Hazzard jump, she's going to be mad. Pronounce chassis CHASS-ee (singular) and CHASS-eez (plural).

Chassis comes from the Latin capsa, meaning box. In the 1600s, chassis referred to window frames, and starting with early automobile production, acquired its dominant meaning, i.e., the box that is the frame for the car. It also means other kinds of frame/boxes too — if you have a radio or a stereo, the outside box is called a chassis.

Definitions of chassis

1. noun

   the skeleton of a motor vehicle consisting of a steel frame supported on springs that holds the body and motor
   type of:

   frame, skeletal frame, skeleton, underframe

   the internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its shape
2. noun

   a metal mounting for the circuit components of an electronic device
   types:

   radio chassis

   a chassis for a radio receiver

   type of:

   mounting

   framework used for support or display
3. noun

   alternate name for the body of a human being
   synonyms: anatomy, bod, build, figure, flesh, form, frame, human body, material body, physical body, physique, shape, soma

   types:

   person

   a human body (usually including the clothing)

   juvenile body

   the body of a young person

   adult body

   the body of an adult human being

   male body

   the body of a male human being

   female body

   the body of a female human being

   child's body

   the body of a human child

   adult female body, woman's body

   the body of an adult woman

   adult male body, man's body

   the body of an adult man

   type of:

   body, organic structure, physical structure

   the entire structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)