From Middle English grate, from a Medieval Latin crāta, from a Latin word for a hurdle; or Italian grata, from Latin cratis.
Meanings
A horizontal metal grill through which liquid, ash, or small objects can fall, while larger objects cannot.
a secret grate of iron bars 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:
The grate stopped the sheep from escaping from their field.
A frame or bed, or kind of basket, of iron bars, for holding fuel while burning.
With the exception of two handsome ornaments in front, it has the same appearance as any other parlor grate, yet by a simple scientific evaporating apparatus, from thirty to sixty gallons of water, if required, can be evaporated during the day. 1847, editorial staff, “Evaporation Grate”, in Scientific American, series 1, Volume 3, Issue 9, page 68:
(historical) A grapper, a metal ring on a lance behind the grip.
Lances (only shown at Stoke D'Abernon) were commonly made of ash, about 13 feet long. A ring of metal (grate or grapper) was fastened to the shaft and during a fight[…] 1969, Herbert Walter Macklin, Monumental Brasses:
[…] and a heavy metal ring, called the grate or graper, fastened to the shaft below the grip. The grate rested against the knight's breastplate and relieved the hand and arm of the full shock of contact. The metallic head (or socket) of the war lance was usually leaf shaped, while that of the tilting lance, at least from[…] 1980, The Encyclopedia Americana, volume 16, page 683:
hu rácsozat (horizontal metal grill) · bg реше́тка (horizontal metal grill) · pt grade (horizontal metal grill) · la cancellī (horizontal metal grill) · pdt Hieet (horizontal metal grill) · fi arina (horizontal metal grill) · cmn 箅子 (horizontal metal grill) · pl krata (horizontal metal grill) · hu rács (horizontal metal grill) · ca morrió (horizontal metal grill) · haw hao hakahaka (horizontal metal grill) · la clāthrī (horizontal metal grill) · tr ızgara (horizontal metal grill) · es rejilla (horizontal metal grill) · it grata (horizontal metal grill) · ru се́тка (horizontal metal grill) · de Gitter (horizontal metal grill) · bg ска́ра (horizontal metal grill) · mi mātiti (horizontal metal grill) · hu rostély (horizontal metal grill) · gl grade (horizontal metal grill) · cmn 爐架 /炉架 (horizontal metal grill) · fi ritilä (horizontal metal grill) · bg скара (frame or bed for holding fuel) · haw hao manamana (horizontal metal grill) · de Rost (horizontal metal grill) · nl rooster (horizontal metal grill) · ru решётка (horizontal metal grill) · gd cliath-theine (horizontal metal grill)
From Middle English graten, from Old French grater (“to scrape”) ( > French gratter), from Frankish *krattōn, from Proto-Germanic *krattōną. Cognate with Old High German krazzon ( > German kratzen (“to scrawl”) > Danish kradse), Icelandic krassa (“to scrawl”) and Danish kratte.
Meanings
(transitive) To shred (things, usually foodstuffs), by rubbing across a grater.
I need to grate the cheese before the potato is cooked.
(intransitive) To make an unpleasant rasping sound, often as the result of rubbing against something.
1856, Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part 3 Chapter X, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling
The gate suddenly grated. It was Lestiboudois; he came to fetch his spade, that he had forgotten. He recognised Justin climbing over the wall, and at last knew who was the culprit who stole his potatoes.
The turmoil went on—no rest, no peace. […] It was nearly eleven o'clock now, and he strolled out again. In the little fair created by the costers' barrows the evening only seemed beginning; and the naphtha flares made one's eyes ache, the men's voices grated harshly, and the girls' faces saddened one. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
Listening to his teeth grate all day long drives me mad.
The chalk grated against the board.
(broadly, intransitive) To get on one's nerves; to irritate, annoy.
She’s nice enough, but she can begin to grate if there is no-one else to talk to.
(broadly, transitive) To annoy.
2015, Art Levy in Florida Trend, Roland Martin is a Florida 'Icon'
one of the issues that's kind of grating me a little bit is weed control.
News, my good lord Rome […] grates me. c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
nl malen (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi roroi (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · izh törkätä (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · es guayar (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · fi narista (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · sv gnissla (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · es rechinar (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · sv riva (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi kukū (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · nl irriteren (to grate on one's nerves, irritate) · mi kukū (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · uk натира́ти (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi pakepakē (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · ta துருவு (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · el τρίβω (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · sw kuna (to grate on one's nerves, irritate) · da rive (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · fi kitistä (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · de reiben (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · nl op de zenuwen werken (to grate on one's nerves, irritate) · yi צערײַבן (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · izh narskaa (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · bg скърцам (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · fi ärsyttää (to grate on one's nerves, irritate) · az sürtmək (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · ru натира́ть (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi waruwaru (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · hu reszel (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · fi narskua (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · it grattuggiare (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · hu csikorog (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · nl vervelen (to grate on one's nerves, irritate) · mi pākēkē (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · fr râper (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · fi raastaa (to grate on one's nerves, irritate) · bg стържа (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi tiotio (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · bg настъргвам (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · es rallar (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · ba ҡырыу (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · hu lereszel (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi pakakū (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · izh korskaa (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · nl raspen (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · sw kuna (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mk ренда (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi ngākeke (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · gun kyty (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · eo raspi (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · af rasper (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · bg дразня (to grate on one's nerves, irritate) · lt tarkuoti (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · hu nyikorog (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · ro rade (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · ar بَشَر (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · yi רײַבן (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · tr rendelemek (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · no raspe (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · uk те́рти (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · pt ralar (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · fi raastaa (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi kakū (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · ru натере́ть (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · it stridere (to make an unpleasant rasping sound) · ru тере́ть (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · uk нате́рти (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · no rive (cooking: to shred by rubbing) · mi waru (cooking: to shred by rubbing)
Coho or Coffee[…]however ingrate or insapory it seems at first, it becomes grate and delicious enough by custom. 1677, Sir Thomas Herbert, Some Yeares Travels into Africa and Asia the Great: