1. [n]  a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled; "he read a chapter every night before falling asleep"
2. [n]  a series of related events forming an episode; "a chapter of disasters"
3. [n]  a local branch of some fraternity or association; "he joined the Atlanta chapter"
4. [n]  an ecclesiastical assembly of the monks in a monastery or even of the canons of a church
5. [n]  any distinct period in history or in a person's life; "the industrial revolution opened a new chapter in British history"; "the divorce was an ugly chapter in their relationship"

1. \Chap"ter\, n. [OF. chapitre, F. chapitre, fr. L.
   capitulum, dim. of caput head, the chief person or thing, the
   principal division of a writing, chapter. See {Chief}, and
   cf, {Chapiter}.]
   1. A division of a book or treatise; as, Genesis has fifty
      chapters.
   2. (Eccl.)
      (a) An assembly of monks, or of the prebends and other
          clergymen connected with a cathedral, conventual, or
          collegiate church, or of a diocese, usually presided
          over by the dean.
      (b) A community of canons or canonesses.
      (c) A bishop's council.
      (d) A business meeting of any religious community.
   3. An organized branch of some society or fraternity as of
      the Freemasons. --Robertson.
   4. A meeting of certain organized societies or orders.
   5. A chapter house. [R.] --Burrill.
   6. A decretal epistle. --Ayliffe.
   7. A location or compartment.
            In his bosom! In what chapter of his bosom? --Shak.
   {Chapter head}, or {Chapter heading}, that which stands at
      the head of a chapter, as a title.
   {Chapter house}, a house or room where a chapter meets, esp.
      a cathedral chapter.
   {The chapter of accidents}, chance. --Marryat.
   

2. \Chap"ter\, v. t.
   1. To divide into chapters, as a book. --Fuller.
   2. To correct; to bring to book, i. e., to demand chapter and
      verse. [Obs.] --Dryden.
   

The several books of the Old and New Testaments were from an early time divided into chapters. The Pentateuch was divided by the ancient Hebrews into 54 _parshioth_ or sections, one of which was read in the synagogue every Sabbath day (Acts. 13:15). These sections were afterwards divided into 669 _sidrim_ or orders of unequal length. The Prophets were divided in somewhat the same manner into _haphtaroth_ or passages.

In the early Latin and Greek versions of the Bible, similar divisions of the several books were made. The New Testament books were also divided into portions of various lengths under different names, such as titles and heads or chapters.

In modern times this ancient example was imitated, and many attempts of the kind were made before the existing division into chapters was fixed. The Latin Bible published by Cardinal Hugo of St. Cher in A.D. 1240 is generally regarded as the first Bible that was divided into our present chapters, although it appears that some of the chapters were fixed as early as A.D. 1059. This division into chapters came gradually to be adopted in the published editions of the Hebrew, with some few variations, and of the Greek Scriptures, and hence of other versions.