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There's no mystery about the origins of chicane. It's from the Middle French verb chicaner, meaning "to quibble" or "to prevent justice," and print evidence of its use as a verb in English dates to around 1672. The noun form of chicane was first used in print in 1686. In addition to referring to "trickery," the noun chicane is used to refer to an obstacle or a series of tight turns in opposite directions on a racecourse. In card games, chicane refers to the absence of trumps in a hand of cards. One curiosity of this word set is that the word that would appear to be a derivative of chicane-chicanery (a synonym of chicane in its "trickery" sense)-actually appeared in English over 60 years before chicane.
Synonyms
Examples of chicane in a Sentence
Melinda Sheckells, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Number of Corners: 27 Located on the coast of the Red Sea, this fast and flowing street circuit, first used by Formula 1 in 2021, has banked corners, multiple chicanes, and facilitates high average speeds.
—Brad Spurgeon, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024
That punch is good out of a very slow corner, like the chicane toward the end of a lap at the former home of the Portuguese Grand Prix.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2023
Known for its signature mirrored façade, the 52-story resort has sweeping views of the Las Vegas Strip that will be used for the 1.2-mile main straight, as well as a tight chicane.
—Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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Cite this Entry
“Chicane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicane. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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