grate

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a frame of iron bars to hold a fire
noun a harsh rasping sound made by scraping something
noun a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air

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

A fire burned brightly in the grate. — The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories, Algernon Blackwood
He knocked out his pipe on the grate. — The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer
She shivered over the fire in the coal grate. — The Chautauqua Girls At Home, Pansy

grating

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