chafe
(chāf)
[Middle English chafen, from Old French chaufer, to warm, from Vulgar Latin* calefāre, alteration of Latin calefacere, calēre, to be warm, + facere, to make.]
verb: chafed, chaf·ing, chafes.
transitive verb
- To wear away or irritate by rubbing.
- To annoy; vex.
- To warm by rubbing, as with the hands.
intransitive verb
- To rub and cause irritation or friction: The high collar chafed against my neck.
- To become worn or sore from rubbing.
- To feel irritated or impatient: chafed at the delay.
noun
- Warmth, wear, or soreness produced by friction.
- Annoyance; vexation.
synonyms:
chafe, abrade, excoriate, fret1gall2 These verbs mean to wear down or rub away a surface by or as if by scraping: chafed my skin; water abrading the canyon walls; metal bristles that excoriated her scalp; rope that fretted a groove in the post; stone steps galled by years of heavy use.