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7 dictionary results for: grit

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

grit

[grit] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, grit·ted, grit·ting.

–noun

1.	abrasive particles or granules, as of sand or other small, coarse impurities found in the air, food, water, etc.

2.	firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck: She has a reputation for grit and common sense.

3.	a coarse-grained siliceous rock, usually with sharp, angular grains.

4.	British. gravel.

5.	sand or other fine grainy particles eaten by fowl to aid in digestion.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to cause to grind or grate together.

–verb (used without object)

7.	to make a scratchy or slightly grating sound, as of sand being walked on; grate.

—Idiom

8.	grit one's teeth, to show tenseness, anger, or determination by or as if by clamping or grinding the teeth together.

[Origin: bef. 1000; ME gret, griet, grit, OE gréot; c. G Griess, ON grjōt pebble, boulder; see grits

]

—Related forms

gritless, adjective

gritter, noun

—Synonyms 2. resolution, fortitude, courage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

grit (grĭt) Pronunciation Key
n.

Minute rough granules, as of sand or stone.
The texture or fineness of sand or stone used in grinding.
A coarse hard sandstone used for making grindstones and millstones.
Informal Indomitable spirit; pluck.

v. grit·ted, grit·ting, grits

v. tr.

To clamp (the teeth) together.
To cover or treat with grit.

v. intr.
To make a grinding noise.

[Middle English gret, sand, from Old English grēot.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
grit

O.E. greot "sand, dust, earth, gravel," from P.Gmc. *greutan "tiny particles of crushed rock" (cf. O.S. griot, O.Fris. gret, O.N. grjot "rock, stone," Ger. Grieß "grit, sand"), from PIE ghreu- "rub, pound, crush" (cf. Lith. grudas "corn, kernel," O.C.S. gruda "clod"). Sense of "pluck, spirit" first recorded Amer.Eng. 1808. Gritty in sense of "unpleasant" (of literature, etc.) is 1882, in reference to the sensation of eating gritty bread.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

grit
noun
1.	a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
2.	fortitude and determination; "he didn't have the guts to try it" [syn: backbone]
verb
1.	cover with a grit; "grit roads"
2.	clench together; "grit one's teeth"

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Grit

Grit\, n. [OE, greet, greot, sand, gravel, AS. gre['o]t grit, sant, dust; akin to OS griott, OFries. gret gravel, OHG. grioz, G. griess, Icel. grj[=o]t, and to E. groats, grout. See Groats, Grout, and cf. Grail gravel.]

1. Sand or gravel; rough, hard particles.

2. The coarse part of meal.

3. pl. Grain, esp. oats or wheat, hulled and coarsely ground; in high milling, fragments of cracked wheat smaller than groats.

4. (Geol.) A hard, coarse-grained siliceous sandstone; as, millstone grit; -- called also gritrock and gritstone. The name is also applied to a finer sharp-grained sandstone; as, grindstone grit.

5. Structure, as adapted to grind or sharpen; as, a hone of good grit.

6. Firmness of mind; invincible spirit; unyielding courage; fortitude. --C. Reade. E. P. Whipple.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Grit

Grit\ (gr[i^]t), v. i. To give forth a grating sound, as sand under the feet; to grate; to grind.

The sanded floor that grits beneath the tread. --Goldsmith.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Grit

Grit\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gritted; p. pr. &, vb. n. Gritting.] To grind; to rub harshly together; to grate; as, to grit the teeth. [Collog.]

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