From Latin 'caminus' (furnace) via French — originally the fireplace itself, not the flue above it.
A vertical structure through which smoke and gases from a fire pass upward and out of a building.
From Old French 'cheminée' (fireplace, chimney, heated room), from Late Latin 'caminata' (room with a fireplace), derived from Latin 'caminus' (forge, furnace, fire-place), borrowed from Greek 'kaminos' (furnace, oven, kiln). The Greek noun may connect to PIE *kam- (to arch, to vault), reflecting the arched construction of ancient kilns and furnaces. The semantic journey moves from the physical structure — an arched or vaulted furnace — to the room containing a hearth, and finally to the vertical flue carrying
The word 'chimney' originally meant 'fireplace,' not the smoke vent above it. French 'cheminée' still primarily means 'fireplace.' Italian 'camino' means both 'fireplace' and 'path' (from a different Latin root), while German 'Kamin' specifically means 'fireplace.' English is unusual in