chain vs tether

chain

verb
  • To connect as if with a chain, due to dependence, addiction, or other feelings 

  • To link multiple items together. 

  • To measure a distance using a 66-foot long chain, as in land surveying. 

  • To relate data items with a chain of pointers. 

  • To obstruct the mouth of a river etc with a chain. 

  • To obligate. 

  • To fasten something with a chain. 

  • To secure someone with fetters. 

  • To load and automatically run (a program). 

  • To be chained to another data item. 

noun
  • A series of interconnected links of known length, used as a measuring device. 

  • A series of stores or businesses with the same brand name. 

  • A number of atoms in a series, which combine to form a molecule. 

  • A unit of length equal to 22 yards. The length of a Gunter's surveying chain. The length of a cricket pitch. Equal to 20.12 metres, 4 rods, or 100 links. 

  • That which confines, fetters, or secures; a bond. 

  • A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal. 

  • Iron links bolted to the side of a vessel to bold the dead-eyes connected with the shrouds; also, the channels. 

  • A long measuring tape. 

  • A totally ordered set, especially a totally ordered subset of a poset. 

  • A sequence of linked house purchases, each of which is dependent on the preceding and succeeding purchase (said to be "broken" if a buyer or seller pulls out). 

  • A livery collar, a chain of office. 

  • The warp threads of a web. 

  • A series of interconnected things. 

tether

verb
  • to connect something to something else. 

  • to connect a cellular smartphone to another personal computer in order to give it access to a hotspot. 

  • to restrict something with a tether. 

noun
  • a strong rope or line that connects a sailor's safety harness to the boat's jackstay 

  • a rope, cable etc. that holds something in place whilst allowing some movement 

  • the limit of one's abilities, resources etc. 

  • The cardinal number three in an old counting system used in Teesdale and Swaledale. (Variant of tethera) 

How often have the words chain and tether occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )