The English word chapter (from the French chapître, itself from the Latin capitulum, diminutive of caput, meaning head but also heading) has multiple meanings. In general, the word indicates a division or a distinct body of some type. Also, the various meanings may be translated by two or more different words in some languages, such as words of different etymology.

• A chapter is one of the main divisions of a piece of writing of relative length, such as a book.
  • In legal texts, a chapter is a technical notion, referring to a formal division, irrespective of actual length, grouping articles that belong together by subject and can thus be referred to as a whole.
  • By analogy, a chapter is also distinct period of time or order of events, as in history or in a person's life. For example, the American Civil War could be called a chapter in American history, just as the years a person spent in college, for example, could be called a chapter in his or her life. See also periodization.
• For the religious meanings of chapter, see chapter.
  • In many Christian monastic communities, a chapter is a daily or occasional formal meeting of the community, usually to conduct practical business, as opposed to a meeting for worship.
  • It is also the name of various precise bodies, such as the canons advising a bishop.
• A chapter also applies to the military orders of knighthood.
• By analogy with the last-mentioned, a chapter is a local branch of various secular organizations, such as a fraternity or sorority, or alumni group (often per campus), charity or service organization, or other club. For example, the Sierra Club, a North American environmental protection organization, maintains more than 60 chapters across the United States.
• Chapters is a large bookstore chain in Canada.
• Chapter Arts Centre is a cultural centre in Cardiff, Wales.

Chapitre | チャプター | Kapittel