Chafe


to wear or abrade by rubbing:
He chafed his shoes on the rocks.
to make sore by rubbing:
Her collar chafed her neck.
to irritate; annoy:
The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
to warm by rubbing:
to chafe cold hands.
Obsolete. to heat; make warm.
to become worn or sore from rubbing:
His neck began to chafe from the starched collar.
to rub; press with friction:
The horse chafed against his stall.
to be irritated or annoyed:
He chafed at their constant interruptions.
irritation; annoyance.
heat, wear, or soreness caused by rubbing.
chafe at the bit, to become impatient at delay:
The work was going very slowly, and he began to chafe at the bit.
verb
to make or become sore or worn by rubbing
(transitive) to warm (the hands, etc) by rubbing
to irritate or be irritated or impatient: he was chafed because he was not allowed out
(intransitive; often foll by on, against, etc) to cause friction; rub
chafe at the bit, See champ1 (sense 3)
noun
a soreness or irritation caused by friction
v.

early 14c., chaufen, c.1300, “be provoked;” late 14c. in literal sense “to make warm, to heat,” also intransitive, “to grow warm or hot,” especially (early 15c.) “to warm by rubbing,” from Old French chaufer “heat, warm up, become warm” (12c., Modern French chauffer), from Vulgar Latin *calefare, from Latin calefacere “to make hot, make warm,” from calere “be warm” (see calorie) + facere “to make, do” (see factitious).

Figurative sense from late 14c. include now-obsolete “kindle (joy), inspire, make passionate” as well as “provoke, vex, anger.” Sense of “make sore by rubbing” first recorded 1520s. Related: Chafed; chafing.

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

Read Also:

  • Chafed

    to wear or abrade by rubbing: He chafed his shoes on the rocks. to make sore by rubbing: Her collar chafed her neck. to irritate; annoy: The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves. to warm by rubbing: to chafe cold hands. Obsolete. to heat; make warm. to become worn or sore from rubbing: His […]

  • Chafer

    any scarabaeid beetle. noun any of various scarabaeid beetles, such as the cockchafer and rose chafer n. kind of beetle, Old English ceafor “beetle, cock-chafer,” from Proto-Germanic *kabraz- (cf. Old Saxon kevera, Dutch kever, Old High German chevar, German Käfer), literally “gnawer,” from PIE *gep(h)- “jaw, mouth” (see jowl (n.1)).

  • Chafeweed

    wood cudweed.

  • Chaff

    the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing. straw cut up for fodder. worthless matter; refuse. the membranous, usually dry, brittle bracts of the flowers of certain plants. Also called window. Military. strips of metal foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar by creating false blips. to mock, tease, or […]

  • Chaffed

    to mock, tease, or jest in a good-natured way; banter: She chaffed him for working late. They joked and chaffed with each other. good-natured ridicule or teasing; raillery. noun the mass of husks, etc, separated from the seeds during threshing finely cut straw and hay used to feed cattle something of little worth; rubbish (esp […]


Disclaimer: Chafe definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.