Definition of "catena"

And, on the contrary, there is a whole catena of authorities, beginning with Sir Robert Peel and ending with Mr. Lowe, which say that the Banking Department of the Bank of England is only a Bank like any other bank [...]

1873, Walter Bagehot, Lombard Street

The changes in soil characteristics from the crest to the foot of a slope are together known as a catena.

2000, Ewan Anderson, Middle East: Geography and Geopolitics, Routledge, page 55