grit en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
With early modern vowel shortening, from Middle English grete, griet, from Old English grēot, from Proto-West Germanic *greut, from Proto-Germanic *greutą. Compare grist.
Meanings
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(uncountable) A collection of hard small materials, such as dirt, ground stone, debris from sandblasting or other such grinding, or swarf from metalworking.
The flower beds were white with grit from sand blasting the flagstone walkways.
- (uncountable) A collection of hard small materials, such as dirt, ground stone, debris from sandblasting or other such grinding, or swarf from metalworking. ▸ Sand or a sand–salt mixture spread on wet and, especially, icy roads and footpaths to improve traction.
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(uncountable) Small, hard, inedible particles in food.
These cookies seem to have grit from nutshells in them.
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(uncountable) A measure of the size of abrasive grains, such as those on sandpaper, and thus their relative coarseness or fineness; the smaller the number, the coarser the abrasive: thus, 60 is rough, 600 is fine, and 3000 is ultrafine.
I need a sheet of 100 grit sandpaper.
- (uncountable) A hard, coarse-grained siliceous sandstone; gritstone. Also, a finer sharp-grained sandstone, e.g., grindstone grit.
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(idiomatic, uncountable) Strength of mind; courage or fearlessness; fortitude.
Although working under very unpleasant conditions they never grumbled, and to the end showed continuous grit; and in addition to this several examples of sheer heroism were displayed.
1941 April, “Notes and News: Railwaymen and Snow”, in Railway Magazine, page 178:But what their admirers call grit and critics deem shamelessness can overshadow another essential element of the Clinton school: a willingness to put on the hair shirt of humility to regain power.
2015 April 15, Jonathan Martin, “For a Clinton, it’s not hard to be humble in an effort to regain power”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Sep 2015:If you are overcome by a man of grit, he insolently makes you conscious of your own weakness
1880, Edwin Percy Whipple, Success and Its Conditions:That kid with the cast on his arm has the grit to play dodgeball.
They came to a rising ground , not sharp , but long ; and here youth and grit and sober living told more than ever.
1861, Charles Reade, The Cloister and the Hearth; or, Maid, Wife, and Widow. A Matter-of-Fact Romance., New York, N.Y.: Rudd & Carleton; London: Trübner & Co.:
Deriveds
gritter · millstone grit · gritten · peagrit · grittish · gritsome · Yorkshire grit · true grit · gritless · grit cell · gritty · gritrock · road grit
Relateds
grind · sandblasting · sandy · mortar and pestle · swarf · grindstone · debris · sand
Translations (91)
sl zagnanost (strength of mind) · sh balastna tvar (inedible particles in food) · ca tremp (strength of mind) · cs drť (collection of hard materials) · hu határozottság (strength of mind) · es agalla (strength of mind) · hu elszántság (strength of mind) · it sabbia (collection of hard materials) · hu eltökéltség (strength of mind) · fi metallipuru (collection of hard materials) · ru выдержка (strength of mind) · hu kavics (collection of hard materials) · sh pesak (collection of hard materials) · hu lelkierő (strength of mind) · sh revnost (strength of mind) · hu törmelék (collection of hard materials) · mi hautū (strength of mind) · cs kuráž (strength of mind) · ru стойкость (strength of mind) · fi pöly (collection of hard materials) · cs písek (collection of hard materials) · de Schneid (strength of mind) · ja 気概 (strength of mind) · de Streumittel (collection of hard materials) · cs štěrk (collection of hard materials) · sh zrnca (collection of hard materials) · pt tenacidade (strength of mind) · es arenilla (collection of hard materials) · ru сила воли (strength of mind) · sl vnema (strength of mind) · fi kivipöly (collection of hard materials) · de Körnung (measure of coarseness) · de Korn (measure of coarseness) · ca gra (measure of coarseness) · mi niwha (strength of mind) · de Schrot (collection of hard materials) · hu homokkő (collection of hard materials) · fi puru (inedible particles in food) · pt garra (strength of mind) · hu kitartás (strength of mind) · de Streu (collection of hard materials) · cs odhodlanost (strength of mind) · de Streugut (collection of hard materials) · pl żwir (collection of hard materials) · ru зерни́стость (measure of coarseness) · ca pòlvores (collection of hard materials) · it grinta (strength of mind) · fi karkeus (measure of coarseness) · es grano (measure of coarseness) · de Mut (strength of mind) · nl gruis (collection of hard materials) · de Schrot (inedible particles in food) · de Grieß (collection of hard materials) · pl stanowczość (strength of mind) · sh zrnatost (measure of coarseness) · pl wytrwałość (strength of mind) · cs vytrvalost (strength of mind) · fi puru (collection of hard materials) · mi para (strength of mind) · es temple (strength of mind) · ca coratge (strength of mind) · de Ballaststoff (inedible particles in food) · sh pijesak (collection of hard materials) · hu murva (collection of hard materials) · pl piasek (collection of hard materials) · pt grão (measure of coarseness) · hu homok (collection of hard materials) · ru хватка (strength of mind) · ru бесстрашие (strength of mind) · mi kirikiri (collection of hard materials) · ca braó (strength of mind) · it grana (measure of coarseness) · de Grieß (inedible particles in food) · hu szilárdság (strength of mind) · ru упорство (strength of mind) · de Schotter (collection of hard materials) · nl lef (strength of mind) · ru песо́к (collection of hard materials) · de Splitt (collection of hard materials) · fi sisukkuus (strength of mind) · sh granulacija (measure of coarseness) · ca sorra (inedible particles in food) · hu kőpor (collection of hard materials) · fi sisu (strength of mind) · fr gravillon (collection of hard materials) · fr cran (strength of mind) · ca grava (collection of hard materials) · pt granalha (collection of hard materials) · hu zúzalék (collection of hard materials) · mi manawaroa (strength of mind) · ca llimadures (collection of hard materials)