noun, plural chas·sis [chas-eez, shas-] /ˈtʃæs iz, ˈʃæs-/.
- Automotive. the frame, wheels, and machinery of a motor vehicle, on which the body is supported.
- Ordnance. the frame or railway on which a gun carriage moves backward and forward.
- the main landing gear of an aircraft; that portion of the landing gear that supports an aircraft.
- Radio and Television. a frame for mounting the circuit components of a radio or television set.
- a construction forming the sides, top, and bottom of a cabinet, showcase, or the like.
noun plural -sis (-sɪz)
- the steel frame, wheels, engine, and mechanical parts of a motor vehicle, to which the body is attached
- electronics a mounting for the circuit components of an electrical or electronic device, such as a radio or television
- the landing gear of an aircraft
- obsolete a wooden framework for a window, screen, etc
- the frame on which a cannon carriage moves backwards and forwards
- slang the body of a person, esp a woman
“base frame of an automobile,” 1903, American English; earlier “window frame” (1660s), from French châssis “frame,” Old French chassiz (13c.) “frame, framework, setting,” from chasse “case, box, eye socket, snail’s shell, setting (of a jewel),” from Latin capsa “box, case;” see case (n.2) + French -is, collective suffix for a number of parts taken together. Cf. sash (n.2).