Chimenia, Chiminea, Why the Different Spelling?

You want one. You need one. You desire one. But what on earth is it called? Our world can get confusing, with a choice of ways to spell the products we sell.

Chiminea is simply the Spanish word for chimney. It makes perfect sense bearing in mind the shape of the thing, with its elegant, tall neck that takes any smoke up and away. But, life being the way it is, nothing is simple!

Chimenea is another popular way to spell the word. Then there’s Chimnea, Chimenas, and even Chuminea. They’re all right, all accurate, and all fine to use.

How about us? We tend to chop and change between chiminea and chimenia which are, in the UK, the two most commonly used spellings. And chiminea is the most popular of all.

But there’s more. ‘Chiminea’ can mean all sorts of related things. It means the smoke stack of a factory, the funnel of a ship, a fireplace, hearth, or even a mineshaft.

Now you know!