chafe

See also: chafé

English

Etymology

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

• (US) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃeɪf/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪf

Noun

chafe (uncountable)

1. Heat excited by friction.
2. Injury or wear caused by friction.
3. Vexation; irritation of mind; rage.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Like a wylde Bull, that, being at a bay, / Is bayted of a mastiffe and a hound / […] That in his chauffe he digs the trampled ground / And threats his horns […]

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

• chafen

Translations

heat excited by friction

• Dutch: opgewarmd door wrijving, wrijvingswarmte (nl) f
• French: chauffer en frictionnant
• German: Reibungswärme f
• Italian: surriscaldamento (it) m
• Portuguese: assadura (pt) f
• Spanish: calor friccional f

injury or wear caused by friction

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: ожулване n (ožulvane), протриване n (protrivane)
• Catalan: coïssor (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 摩擦 (zh) (mócā), 磨損／磨损 (zh) (mósún), 擦熱／擦热 (cārè)

• Czech: podráždění n (třením)
• Danish: gnavesår n
• Dutch: schaafwonde, pijnlijke ruwe plek
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: hiertymä, hankauma
• French: inflammation (fr) f, abrasion (fr) f
• Galician: abrasión (gl) f, esfoladura f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Schürfwunde (de) f, Verschleiß (de) m, Abnutzung (de) f
• Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: horzsolás (hu)
• Icelandic: núningssár n
• Indonesian: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: abrasione (it) f, escoriazione (it) f
• Japanese: 摩擦 (ja) (まさつ, masatsu), 擦過傷 (ja) (さっかしょう, sakkashō)
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: odparzenie n, zatarcie n, otarcie (pl)
• Portuguese: esfolamento m, desgaste (pt) m
• Romanian: rosătură (ro) f
• Russian: сса́дина (ru) f (ssádina), потёртость (ru) f (potjórtostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: bruichealachd f
• Spanish: escocimiento m, irritación (es) f, cocedura f, rozadura f, escocedura f, escozor (es) m, bife (es) m
• Swedish: skavsår (sv) n, skav (sv) n

vexation; irritation of mind; rage

• Bulgarian: раздразнение (bg) n (razdraznenie)
• Catalan: ràbia (ca) f
• Dutch: ergernis (nl), woede (nl)
• Finnish: ärsytys (fi)
• French: énervement (fr) m, colère (fr) f
• German: Ärger (de) m, Verdruss (de) m, Belästigung (de) f, Wut (de) f, Qual (de) f, Beunruhigung (de) f
• Italian: irritazione (it) f, collera (it) f, stizza (it) f, rabbia (it) f, nervosismo (it) m
• Portuguese: raiva (pt) f
• Romanian: enervare (ro) f
• Russian: раздраже́ние (ru) n (razdražénije), доса́да (ru) f (dosáda), гнев (ru) m (gnev), недово́льство (ru) n (nedovólʹstvo)
• Spanish: solivianto (es) m

Verb

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.
   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     the troubled Tiber chafing with her shores

   • 1855 November 10, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Peace-pipe”, in The Song of Hiawatha, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 12:

     [Gitche Manito] Breathed upon the neighbouring forest, / Made its great boughs chafe together, / Till in flame they burst and kindled; […]

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.
   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:

     He will chafe at the doctor's marrying my daughter.

   • 1996, Jim Schiller, Developing Jepara in New Order Indonesia, page 58:

     Many local politicians chafed under the restrictions of Guided Democracy […]

Derived terms

• antichafe
• chafage
• chafe at the bit
• chafer
• chafesome
• chafeweed
• chafing dish
• chafing gear

 

Translations

to excite passion or anger in

• Bulgarian: дразня (bg) (draznja)
• Czech: podráždit pf, dráždit (cs) impf
• Danish: stimulere, opildne, provokere
• Dutch: zich ergeren (nl), zich opwinden (nl)
• Finnish: ärsyttää (fi)
• Galician: irritar (gl), alporizar, enervar, enrabiar, enrabechar
• German: belästigen (de), ärgern (de), nervös machen, reizen (de), verärgern (de), aufregen (de), verdrießen (de), erregen (de), erzürnen (de), irritieren (de), anecken (de)
• Italian: arrapare (it), stimolare (it), attizzare (it), provocare (it)
• Maori: hotu
• Middle English: chaufen
• Polish: dręczyć (pl) impf, drażnić (pl) impf
• Portuguese: enraivecer (pt)
• Russian: дразни́ть (ru) impf (draznítʹ)
• Spanish: irritar (es), soliviantar (es), enrabietar (es), escocer (es)

to fret and wear by rubbing

• Azerbaijani: sürtmək (az)
• Bulgarian: протривам (bg) (protrivam)
• Catalan: desgastar (ca)
• Czech: dřít (cs) impf, rozedřít pf
• Danish: slide
• Dutch: afslijten (nl)
• Finnish: hangata (fi)
• German: verschleißen (de), abnutzen (de), abreiben (de), abscheuern, scheuern (de)
• Maori: pākanikani, hikahika, mōhanihani
• Mongolian: хөлрөх (mn) (xölröx), үрэх (mn) (ürex), холгох (mn) (xolgox)
• Polish: odparzyć pf, odparzać impf
• Portuguese: friccionar (pt)
• Russian: натира́ть (ru) impf (natirátʹ), натере́ть (ru) pf (naterétʹ), истирать (ru) impf (istiratʹ)
• Spanish:

to rub; to come together so as to wear by rubbing; to wear by friction

• Ainu: シルシル (shiru-shiru)
• Bulgarian: трия (bg) (trija), търкам (bg) (tǎrkam)
• Catalan: desgastar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 擦熱／擦热 (cārè)

• Danish: slide
• Dutch: schuren (nl)
• Finnish: hangata (fi)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: reiben (de), scheuern (de)
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: pākanikani, mōhanihani, hikahika
• Mongolian: хөлрөх (mn) (xölröx), үрэх (mn) (ürex), холгох (mn) (xolgox)
• Polish: wycierać (pl) impf, przecierać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: atritar, desgastar (pt)
• Russian: тере́ть (ru) impf (terétʹ), (intransitive) тере́ться (ru) impf (terétʹsja)
• Spanish: erosionar (es), escocer (es)

to be worn by rubbing

• Azerbaijani: yeyilmək
• Bulgarian: протривам се (bg) (protrivam se)
• Catalan: pelar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 擦熱／擦热 (cārè)

• Czech: dřít se impf, rozedřít se pf
• Danish: opslide
• Dutch: verslijten (nl)
• Finnish: hankautua
• Galician: desgastar (gl), gastar, luír
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: verschleißen (de), durchscheuern (de), abscheuern, abreiben (de), durchreiben
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: pākanikani, pahore
• Mongolian: холгох (mn) (xolgox)
• Portuguese: desgastar (pt)
• Russian: протира́ться (ru) impf (protirátʹsja), протере́ться (ru) pf (proterétʹsja)
• Spanish: desgastarse (es)

to be vexed; to fret; to be irritated

• Bulgarian: дразня се (bg) (draznja se), горещя се (bg) (goreštja se)
• Catalan: coure (ca)
• Danish: irritere
• Dutch: irriteren (nl), vervelen (nl)
• Finnish: ärsyyntyä (fi)
• French: irriter (fr), vexer (fr)
• German: irritieren (de), verärgern (de), bekümmern (de), plagen (de), belästigen (de), aufregen (de), quälen (de), beunruhigen (de)
• Maori: hotu
• Polish: być rozdrażnionym impf
• Portuguese: irritar-se
• Russian: горячи́ться (ru) impf (gorjačítʹsja), зли́ться (ru) impf (zlítʹsja), раздража́ться (ru) impf (razdražátʹsja)
• Spanish: irritarse (es)

References

• “chafe”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• friction burn on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Middle English

Verb

chafe

1. Alternative form of chaufen

Spanish

Verb

chafe

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