grate

pronunciation

How to pronounce grate in British English: UK [greɪt] word uk audio image

How to pronounce grate in American English: US [greɪt] word us audio image

Noun:

a frame of iron bars to hold a fire
a harsh rasping sound made by scraping something
a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
Verb:

furnish with a grate
gnaw into; make resentful or angry
reduce to small shreds or pulverize by rubbing against a rough or sharp perforated surface
make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together
scratch repeatedly

Word Origin

grate: grate: Grate ‘framework for holding burning fuel’ [14] and grate ‘rub’ [15] are different words. The former comes via Old French grate ‘grille’ and Vulgar Latin *grāta from Latin crātis ‘wickerwork, hurdle’. Grate ‘rub’ is ultimately Germanic (its ultimate ancestor was the Germanic verb *krattōn, source of modern German kratzen ‘scratch’), but it reached English via Old French grater ‘scrape’. Gratin [19] comes from the derived French noun gratin.=> gratin

grate (n.): late 14c., "grill for cooking;" early 15c., "iron bars or cagework across a door or window," from Anglo-Latin (mid-14c.), from Old French grate or directly from Medieval Latin grata "a grating, lattice," from Latin cratis "wickerwork, hurdle" (see hurdle (n.)). As a verb meaning "to fit with a grate," from mid-15c. Related: Grated; grating.

grate (v.): "to scrape, rub," late 14c. (implied in grated), from Old French grater "to scrape, scratch (out or off); erase; destroy, pull down" (Modern French gratter), from Frankish *kratton, from Proto-Germanic *krattojan (cognates: Old High German krazzon "to scratch, scrape," German kratzen "to scratch," Swedish kratta, Danish kratte "to rake, scrape"), probably of imitative origin. Senses of "sound harshly," and "annoy" are mid-16c. Italian grattare also is from Germanic. Related: Grated; grating.

1. The problem , though , is that assuaging germany 's sensitivities may yet grate on irish ones .

2. Put the ginger in a plastic bag and put in the freezer , grate it as needed .

3. It is the downfall of many of us - coworkers , children , spouses , other drivers , irritating people on the subway - they can grate , they can anger .