NOUN (5)

1. a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled;
- Example: "he read a chapter every night before falling asleep"

2. any distinct period in history or in a person's life;
- Example: "the industrial revolution opened a new chapter in British history"
- Example: "the divorce was an ugly chapter in their relationship"

3. a local branch of some fraternity or association;
- Example: "he joined the Atlanta chapter"

4. an ecclesiastical assembly of the monks in a monastery or even of the canons of a church;

5. a series of related events forming an episode;
- Example: "a chapter of disasters"

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Chapter \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.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
          [1913 Webster]

   3. An organized branch of some society or fraternity as of
      the Freemasons. --Robertson.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. A meeting of certain organized societies or orders.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. A chapter house. [R.] --Burrill.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. A decretal epistle. --Ayliffe.
      [1913 Webster]

   7. A location or compartment.
      [1913 Webster]

            In his bosom! In what chapter of his bosom? --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Chapter \Chap"ter\, v. t.
   1. To divide into chapters, as a book. --Fuller.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To correct; to bring to book, i. e., to demand chapter and
      verse. [Obs.] --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

chapter
    n 1: a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and
         titled; "he read a chapter every night before falling
         asleep"
    2: 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"
    3: a local branch of some fraternity or association; "he joined
       the Atlanta chapter"
    4: an ecclesiastical assembly of the monks in a monastery or
       even of the canons of a church
    5: a series of related events forming an episode; "a chapter of
       disasters"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

88 Moby Thesaurus words for "chapter":
   Council of Nicaea, Council of Trent, Lateran Council,
   Vatican Council, affiliate, arm, article, back matter, basis, book,
   branch, branch office, burden, case, classis, clause, column,
   concern, conciliarism, conclave, conference, congregation,
   consistory, convention, convocation, diocesan conference, division,
   ecclesiastical council, ecumenical council, essence, fascicle,
   focus of attention, focus of interest, folio, front matter,
   gathering, gist, head, heading, installment, issue, living issue,
   livraison, local, lodge, main point, matter, matter in hand, meat,
   motif, motive, number, offshoot, organ, page, paragraph,
   parochial church council, parochial council, part, passage, phrase,
   plenary council, point, point at issue, point in question, post,
   presbytery, problem, question, rubric, section, sentence, serial,
   session, sheet, signature, subject, subject matter,
   subject of thought, substance, synod, text, theme, topic, verse,
   vestry, volume, wing



Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:

Chapter
   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.


Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

CHAPTER, eccl. law. A congregation of clergymen. Such an assembly is termed
capitulum, which signifies a little head it being a kind of head, not only
to govern the diocese in the vacation of the bishopric, but also for other
purposes. Co. Litt. 103.