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chafe

 - 6 dictionary results

chafe

  [cheyf] verb, chafed, chaf⋅ing, noun
Use chafe in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to wear or abrade by rubbing: He chafed his shoes on the rocks.
2. to make sore by rubbing: Her collar chafed her neck.
3. to irritate; annoy: The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
4. to warm by rubbing: to chafe cold hands.
5. Obsolete. to heat; make warm.
–verb (used without object)
6. to become worn or sore from rubbing: His neck began to chafe from the starched collar.
7. to rub; press with friction: The horse chafed against his stall.
8. to be irritated or annoyed: He chafed at their constant interruptions.
–noun
9. irritation; annoyance.
10. heat, wear, or soreness caused by rubbing.
—Idiom
11. chafe at the bit, to become impatient at delay: The work was going very slowly, and he began to chafe at the bit.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME chaufen to heat, rub, chafe < MF chaufer < VL *calfāre, var. of L cal(e)facere, equiv. to cale- (s. of calēre to be hot) + facere to make

Synonyms:
3. exasperate, vex, trouble, provoke.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To chafe
chafe   (chāf)   
v.   chafed, chaf·ing, chafes

v.   tr.

  1. To wear away or irritate by rubbing.

  2. To annoy; vex.

  3. To warm by rubbing, as with the hands.

v.   intr.

  1. To rub and cause irritation or friction: The high collar chafed against my neck.

  2. To become worn or sore from rubbing.

  3. To feel irritated or impatient: chafed at the delay.

n.  

  1. Warmth, wear, or soreness produced by friction.

  2. Annoyance; vexation.


[Middle English chafen, from Old French chaufer, to warm, from Vulgar Latin *calefāre, alteration of Latin calefacere : calēre, to be warm; see kelə-1 in Indo-European roots + facere, to make; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to wear down or rub away a surface by or as if by scraping: chafed my skin; water abrading the canyon walls; metal bristles that excoriated her scalp; rope that fretted a groove in the post; stone steps galled by years of heavy use.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

chafe 
c.1325, "to heat, rub with the hands to make warm," from O.Fr. chaufer, from V.L. *calefare, from L. calefacere "to make hot, make warm," from calere "be warm" (see calorie) + facere "to make, do" (see factitious). Sense of "make sore by rubbing" first recorded 1526.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1chafe
Pronunciation: 'chAf
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: chafed; chaf·ing
: to irritate or makesore by or as if by rubbing

Main Entry: 2chafe
Function: noun
: injury caused by friction
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

chafe (chāf)
v. chafed, chaf·ing, chafes
To cause irritation of the skin by friction.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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