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 calére to be hot) + facere to make]
To rub and cause irritation or friction: The high collar chafed against my neck.
To become worn or sore from rubbing.
To feel irritated or impatient: chafed at the delay.
n.
Warmth, wear, or soreness produced by friction.
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.
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.
soreness and warmth caused by friction; "he had a nasty chafe on his knee"
2.
anger produced by some annoying irritation [syn: annoyance]
verb
1.
become or make sore by or as if by rubbing
2.
feel extreme irritation or anger; "He was chafing at her suggestion that he stay at home while she went on a vacation"
3.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves"
4.
tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading; "This leash chafes the dog's neck"
Chafe\ (ch[=a]f), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chafed (ch[=a]ft); p pr. & vb. n. Chafing.] [OE. chaufen to warm, OF. chaufer, F. chauffer, fr. L. calefacere, calfacere, to make warm; calere to be warm + facere to make. See Caldron.]1. To excite heat in by friction; to rub in order to stimulate and make warm. To rub her temples, and to chafe her skin. --Spenser. 2. To excite passion or anger in; to fret; to irritate. Her intercession chafed him. --Shak. 3. To fret and wear by rubbing; as, to chafe a cable. Two slips of parchment which she sewed round it to prevent its being chafed. --Sir W. Scott. Syn: To rub; fret; gall; vex; excite; inflame.
Chafe\, v. i. To rub; to come together so as to wear by rubbing; to wear by friction. Made its great boughs chafe together. --Longfellow. The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores. --Shak. 2. To be worn by rubbing; as, a cable chafes. 3. To have a feeling of vexation; to be vexed; to fret; to be irritated. --Spenser. He will chafe at the doctor's marrying my daughter. --Shak.
Chafe\, n. 1. Heat excited by friction. 2. Injury or wear caused by friction. 3. Vexation; irritation of mind; rage. The cardinal in a chafe sent for him to Whitehall. --Camden.
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