chain

chain  1. vi. [orig. from BASIC's `CHAIN' statement]
   To hand off execution to a child or successor without going
   through the {OS} command interpreter that invoked it.  The state
   of the parent program is lost and there is no returning to it.
   Though this facility used to be common on memory-limited micros and
   is still widely supported for backward compatibility, the jargon
   usage is semi-obsolescent; in particular, most UNIX programmers
   will think of this as an {exec}.  Oppose the more modern
   `subshell'.  2. n. A series of linked data areas within an
   operating system or application.  `Chain rattling' is the process
   of repeatedly running through the linked data areas searching for
   one which is of interest to the executing program.  The implication
   is that there is a very large number of links on the chain.