*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of grate

From Middle English grate, from a Medieval Latin crāta, from a Latin word for a hurdle; or Italian grata, from Latin cratis.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A horizontal metal grill through which liquid, ash, or small objects can fall, while larger objects cannot. · A frame or bed, or kind of basket, of iron bars, for holding fuel while burning. · A grapper, a metal ring on a lance behind the grip.

verb

To furnish with grates; to protect with a grating or crossbars.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English grate, from a Medieval Latin crāta, from a Latin word for a hurdle; or Italian grata, from Latin cratis.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "grate"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English grate"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "crāta"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin crāta"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "it",
        "2": "grata"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian grata"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "cratis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin cratis"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "grate",
      "grate#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "crāta",
      "crata#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "grata",
      "grata#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "cratis",
      "cratis#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A horizontal metal grill through which liquid, ash, or small objects can fall, while larger objects cannot.",
        "A frame or bed, or kind of basket, of iron bars, for holding fuel while burning.",
        "A grapper, a metal ring on a lance behind the grip."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To furnish with grates; to protect with a grating or crossbars."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To shred (things, usually foodstuffs), by rubbing across a grater. · To make an unpleasant rasping sound, often as the result of rubbing against something. · To get on one's nerves; to irritate, annoy. · To annoy.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gred- Proto-Indo-European *-néh₂ti Proto-Indo-European *grodnéh₂ti? Proto-Germanic *krattōną Frankish *krattōnbor. Old French graterbor. Middle English graten English grate From Middle English graten, from Old French grater (“to scrape”) ( > French gratter), from Frankish *krattōn, from Proto-Germanic *krattōną. Cognate with Old High German krazzon ( > German kratzen (“to scrawl”) > Danish kradse), Icelandic krassa (“to scrawl”) and Danish kratte. Doublet of cratch.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:graten<ety:bor<fro:grater>>",
        "id": "shred",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *gred-\nProto-Indo-European *-néh₂ti\nProto-Indo-European *grodnéh₂ti?\nProto-Germanic *krattōną\nFrankish *krattōnbor.\nOld French graterbor.\nMiddle English graten\nEnglish grate\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*grodnéh₂ti\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*gred-\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-néh₂ti\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*krattōną\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Frankish\", \"term\" : \"*krattōn\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"frk\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"grater\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"graten\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"grate\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"shred\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"grate\" id=\"English:_shred\">"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "graten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English graten"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "grater",
        "t": "to scrape"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French grater (“to scrape”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "gratter"
      },
      "expansion": "French gratter"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*krattōn"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *krattōn"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*krattōną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *krattōną"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "krazzon"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German krazzon"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "kratzen",
        "t": "to scrawl"
      },
      "expansion": "German kratzen (“to scrawl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "kradse"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish kradse"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "krassa",
        "t": "to scrawl"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic krassa (“to scrawl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "kratte"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish kratte"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cratch"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of cratch"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:graten<ety:bor<fro:grater>>",
        "id": "shred",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *gred-\nProto-Indo-European *-néh₂ti\nProto-Indo-European *grodnéh₂ti?\nProto-Germanic *krattōną\nFrankish *krattōnbor.\nOld French graterbor.\nMiddle English graten\nEnglish grate"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*-néh₂ti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-néh₂ti"
    ],
    [
      "*krattōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/krattōną"
    ],
    [
      "*krattōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/krattōn"
    ],
    [
      "grater",
      "grater#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "graten",
      "graten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "graten",
      "graten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "grater",
      "grater#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "gratter",
      "gratter#French"
    ],
    [
      "*krattōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/krattōn"
    ],
    [
      "*krattōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/krattōną"
    ],
    [
      "krazzon",
      "krazzon#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "kratzen",
      "kratzen#German"
    ],
    [
      "kradse",
      "kradse#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "krassa",
      "krassa#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "kratte",
      "kratte#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "cratch",
      "cratch#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To shred (things, usually foodstuffs), by rubbing across a grater.",
        "To make an unpleasant rasping sound, often as the result of rubbing against something.",
        "To get on one's nerves; to irritate, annoy.",
        "To annoy."
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
adj

Serving to gratify; agreeable.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin grātus (“agreeable”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentiongrātusla · agreeable
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "grātus",
        "t": "agreeable"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin grātus (“agreeable”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "grātus",
      "gratus#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Serving to gratify; agreeable."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for grate →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Z3JhdGU