Chafe Definition
chāf
chafed, chafes, chafing
verb
chafed, chafes, chafing
To rub (on or against)
Webster's New World
To wear away by rubbing.
Webster's New World
To rub so as to stimulate or make warm.
Webster's New World
To annoy; irritate.
Webster's New World
To cause irritation by rubbing or friction.
The high collar chafed against my neck.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
- make happy
noun
chafes
Warmth, wear, or soreness produced by friction.
American Heritage
An injury or irritation caused by rubbing.
Webster's New World
A vexed or annoyed state.
Webster's New World
Annoyance; vexation.
American Heritage
idiom
chafe at the bit
- to be impatient or vexed, as because of delay
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Chafe
- chafe at the bit
Origin of Chafe
-
Middle English chafen from Old French chaufer to warm from Vulgar Latin calefāre alteration of Latin calefacere calēre to be warm kelə-1 in Indo-European roots facere to make dhē- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
-
Middle English chaufen (“to warm”), from Old French chaufer (modern French chauffer), from Latin calefacere, calfacere (“to make warm”), from calere (“to be warm”) + facere (“to make”). See caldron.
From Wiktionary
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