chassis

noun

chas·​sis ˈcha-sē  ˈsha-sē 

also ˈcha-səs

plural chassis ˈcha-sēz 

ˈsha-sēz

: the supporting frame of a structure (such as an automobile or television)

Leaf springs are attached to the car's chassis.

also : the frame and working parts (as of an automobile or electronic device) exclusive of the body or housing

Examples of chassis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From materials and complications to new projects, such as Bremont’s integration of its Supernova watch on the chassis of Astrolab’s FLIP rover headed to the moon, everyone had their head in the stars. —Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 May 2026

Starting in 2029, Cadillac F1, which runs Ferrari engines now, will run Cadillac engines built in Charlotte in a chassis built in Fishers, an Indianapolis suburb. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026

To create the car, Sörensen took apart two e-bikes for their powertrains—the components that generate and deliver power to a road surface—and integrated them into a steel-tubing chassis frame. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Apr. 2026

So, yeah, sometimes the wheels come off and the chassis is gone. —New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French châssis "window sash, cold frame, frame holding cloth to be painted or embroidered, supporting frame of a motor vehicle," going back to Old French chasiz "window frame" from casse (Anglo-Norman & Norman dialect) "reliquary" (Middle French chasse "frame, mount") + -iz, denominal collective suffix, often of things linked or intertwined, of uncertain origin — more at case entry 2

Note: To judge by the derivative chasiz, attested already in the twelfth century (Roman d'Énéas), the meaning "frame" of casse/chasse is older than its first Middle French attestation in the fourteenth century. Presumably the Latin source capsa had developed more than one sense, all subsumable under the meaning "something holding or enclosing" in Gallo-Romance.

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chassis

• assay
• bassi
• brassey
• brassy
• cassie
• classy
• gassy
• glassy
• grassy
• lassie
• massy
• sassy

Kids Definition

chassis

noun

chas·​sis ˈshas-ē  ˈchas-ē 

plural chassis -ēz 

: a supporting frame (as that of the body of an automobile or airplane or the parts of a radio or television receiver)