"Chain" in Spanish? Cadena?

Question

Hi all,

Can someone tell me whether I can use "la cadena" to refer to "a flexible length of metal links in jewellery"? I mean a kind of necklace called "chain" in English because it is made of metal links. I had a look in the dictionary, but "cadena" doesn't seem to include this meaning. Is there another word?

Thank you,

Carole

Answer 1

Yes, "cadena" means "chain" just as you said and are looking for. Check cadena @ SpanishDict for more details.

Well, if you think about it, the word "chain" in English doesn't necessarily mean "a flexible length of metal links in jewellery".

For example, we can say... "a chain of mountains" or even "chain reaction". For both of these phrases, "cadena" is used. (cadena montañosa; reacción en cadena)

It is usually called 'cadena', though some people may call it 'cordón', especially when the links are very small. ie: 'un cordón de plata' - bill1111, Nov 10, 2010

Answer 2

Hello Carole, in this case, the term used is the diminutive form of cadena, cadenilla, since it´s a delicate piece of jewellery.