ЦЕПЬ _|_ CHAIN / TSEP [t͡sɛpʲ]
Hint with an alternative definition: a series of interconnected things, it is like a chain of elements of the same type, taped elements, trapped together; any steps in a process is a chain.
Hints with translation + consonant words (by sounds or letters): think of a pest bug or a pestiferous disease – connection of chain links is like connection of a bad thing to a good thing (pest to a potato or Covid-19 to a healthy person).
Hint with composition: ties + up
Hint with transformations: separate > reduction > te…sep
Russian tip: цап (звук соединения двух элементов) / цепь | пец (песок) — прочность и порядок против хаоса
Mental visualization: ЦЕП (two chain links connected by two chains) + ь (separate link)
