chafe

[cheyf] /tʃeɪf/
verb (used with object), chafed, chafing.
1.
to wear or abrade by rubbing:
He chafed his shoes on the rocks.
2.
to make sore by rubbing:
Her collar chafed her neck.
3.
to irritate; annoy:
The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
4.
to warm by rubbing:
to chafe cold hands.
5.
Obsolete. to heat; make warm.
verb (used without object), chafed, chafing.
6.
to become worn or sore from rubbing:
His neck began to chafe from the starched collar.
7.
to rub; press with friction:
The horse chafed against his stall.
8.
to be irritated or annoyed:
He chafed at their constant interruptions.
noun
9.
irritation; annoyance.
10.
heat, wear, or soreness caused by rubbing.
Idioms
11.
chafe at the bit, to become impatient at delay:
The work was going very slowly, and he began to chafe at the bit.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English chaufen to heat, rub, chafe < Middle French chaufer < Vulgar Latin *calfāre, variant of Latin cal(e)facere, equivalent to cale- (stem of calēre to be hot) + facere to make
Related forms
nonchafing, adjective
overchafe, verb, overchafed, overchafing.
unchafed, adjective
Can be confused
chafe, chaff.
Synonyms
3. exasperate, vex, trouble, provoke.
Examples from the web for chafe
  • Most employees would chafe under an overly restrictive employer social media policy.
  • Most employees chafe when given too much direction, anyway.
  • Micro-chamois lined chin guard eliminates zipper chafe.
  • And forty years later, champions of programs that don't work still chafe.
  • As the war wound down, he continued to chafe behind the lines.
  • Investigators say the cable can chafe or break, since it is close to where tie-down chains secure the jets to a carrier deck.
  • Heat messes with their stylish haircuts and leather pants chafe in the summertime.
  • Raglan sleeves and offset side seams eliminate chafe beneath pack straps.
  • Companies chafe at the bureaucracy involved in acquiring government funding for green jobs.
  • Business people are usually disdainful of bureaucracy and you might expect that they would chafe at such restrictions.
British Dictionary definitions for chafe

chafe

/tʃeɪf/
verb
1.
to make or become sore or worn by rubbing
2.
(transitive) to warm (the hands, etc) by rubbing
3.
to irritate or be irritated or impatient: he was chafed because he was not allowed out
4.
(intransitive; often foll by on, against, etc) to cause friction; rub
5.
chafe at the bit, See champ1 (sense 3)
noun
6.
a soreness or irritation caused by friction
Word Origin
C14: from Old French chaufer to warm, ultimately from Latin calefacere, from calēre to be warm + facere to make
Word Origin and History for chafe
v.

early 14c., chaufen, c.1300, "be provoked;" late 14c. in literal sense "to make warm, to heat," also intransitive, "to grow warm or hot," especially (early 15c.) "to warm by rubbing," from Old French chaufer "heat, warm up, become warm" (12c., Modern French chauffer), from Vulgar Latin *calefare, from Latin calefacere "to make hot, make warm," from calere "be warm" (see calorie) + facere "to make, do" (see factitious).

Figurative sense from late 14c. include now-obsolete "kindle (joy), inspire, make passionate" as well as "provoke, vex, anger." Sense of "make sore by rubbing" first recorded 1520s. Related: Chafed; chafing.

chafe in Medicine

chafe (chāf)
v. chafed, chaf·ing, chafes
To cause irritation of the skin by friction.