See also: chafé

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English chaufen (to warm), borrowed from Old French chaufer (modern French chauffer), from Latin calefacere, calfacere (to make warm), from calere (to be warm) + facere (to make). See caldron.

Pronunciation edit

  • (US) IPA(key): /t͡ʃeɪf/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪf

Noun edit

chafe (uncountable)

  1. Heat excited by friction.
  2. Injury or wear caused by friction.
  3. Vexation; irritation of mind; rage.
  4. (archaic) An expression of opinionated conflict.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:argument
    • 1830, Joseph Plumb Martin, The Adventures Of A Revolutionary Soldier:
      When we returned we found the poor prisoner in a terrible chafe with the sentinel for detaining him, for the guard had been true to his trust.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

Verb edit

chafe (third-person singular simple present chafes, present participle chafing, simple past and past participle chafed)

  1. (transitive) To excite heat in by friction; to rub in order to stimulate and make warm.
  2. (transitive) To excite passion or anger in; to fret; to irritate.
  3. (transitive) To fret and wear by rubbing.
    to chafe a cable
  4. (intransitive) To rub; to come together so as to wear by rubbing; to wear by friction.
  5. (intransitive) To be worn by rubbing.
    A cable chafes.
  6. (intransitive) To have a feeling of vexation; to be vexed; to fret; to be irritated.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

References edit

Middle English edit

Verb edit

chafe

  1. Alternative form of chaufen

Spanish edit

Verb edit

chafe

  1. inflection of chafar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative