Noun: grating grey-ting
- A barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
"The security grating was lowered over the shop window at closing time";
- grate
- A frame of iron bars to hold a fire
"They placed logs on the grating in the fireplace";
- grate
- Optical device consisting of a surface with many parallel grooves in it; disperses a beam of light (or other electromagnetic radiation) into its wavelengths to produce its spectrum
"The scientist used a diffraction grating to analyse the light from distant stars";
- diffraction grating
- Unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
"a grating voice";
- gravelly, rasping, raspy, rough, scratchy
- Furnish with a grate
"a grated fireplace"
- Gnaw into; make resentful or angry
"The injustice grated her";
- eat into, fret, rankle
- Reduce to small shreds or pulverize by rubbing against a rough or sharp perforated surface
"grate carrots and onions"; "grate nutmeg"
- Make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together
"grate one's teeth in anger";
- grind
- Scratch repeatedly
"She grated the cheese for the recipe";
- scrape
Derived forms: gratings
See also: cacophonic, cacophonous
Type of: annoy, barrier, bother, break up, chafe [archaic], devil, fragment, fragmentise [Brit], fragmentize, frame, framework, furnish, get at [informal], get to, gravel [US], irritate, nark [Brit, slang], nettle, offer, optical device, provide, rag, render, rile, roil [N. Amer], rub, supply, tick off [informal], vex
Part of: cooker [Brit], cooking stove, furnace, kitchen range, kitchen stove, oven, range, stove
Encyclopedia: Grating
Grate, Eric