grit

[grit] /grɪt/
noun
1.
abrasive particles or granules, as of sand or other small, coarse impurities found in the air, food, water, etc.
2.
firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck:
She has a reputation for grit and common sense.
3.
a coarse-grained siliceous rock, usually with sharp, angular grains.
4.
British, gravel.
5.
sand or other fine grainy particles eaten by fowl to aid in digestion.
verb (used with object), gritted, gritting.
6.
to cause to grind or grate together.
verb (used without object), gritted, gritting.
7.
to make a scratchy or slightly grating sound, as of sand being walked on; grate.
Idioms
8.
grit one's teeth, to show tenseness, anger, or determination by or as if by clamping or grinding the teeth together.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English gret, griet, grit, Old English grēot; cognate with German Griess, Old Norse grjōt pebble, boulder; see grits
Related forms
gritless, adjective
gritter, noun
Synonyms
2. resolution, fortitude, courage.
British Dictionary definitions for grit one's teeth

grit

/ɡrɪt/
noun
1.
small hard particles of sand, earth, stone, etc
2.
Also called gritstone. any coarse sandstone that can be used as a grindstone or millstone
3.
the texture or grain of stone
4.
indomitable courage, toughness, or resolution
5.
(engineering) an arbitrary measure of the size of abrasive particles used in a grinding wheel or other abrasive process
verb grits, gritting, gritted
6.
to clench or grind together (two objects, esp the teeth)
7.
to cover (a surface, such as icy roads) with grit
Derived Forms
gritless, adjective
Word Origin
Old English grēot; related to Old Norse grjōt pebble, Old High German grioz; see great, groats, gruel

Grit

/ɡrɪt/
noun, adjective (Canadian)
1.
an informal word for Liberal
Word Origin and History for grit one's teeth

grit

n.

Old English greot "sand, dust, earth, gravel," from Proto-Germanic *greutan "tiny particles of crushed rock" (cf. Old Saxon griot, Old Frisian gret, Old Norse grjot "rock, stone," German Grieß "grit, sand"), from PIE *ghreu- "rub, grind" (cf. Lithuanian grudas "corn, kernel," Old Church Slavonic gruda "clod"). Sense of "pluck, spirit" first recorded American English, 1808.

v.

"make a grating sound," 1762, probably from grit (n.). Related: Gritted; gritting.

Slang definitions & phrases for grit one's teeth

grit

noun
  1. Courage; fortitude and stamina (1825+)
  2. The roadpath beside a railroad track (1950s+ Railroad)
  3. (also grits)Food (1930s+ Black)
  4. A Southerner: He's a hotshot down here among the grits. A good Yankee guard would eat him alive (1960s+)
  5. (also Grit)Awhite person: It's a God's wonder some Grit didn't kill us (1960s+ Black)
verb

To eat (1930s+ Black)

Related Terms

hit the dirt

[food senses at least partially fr hominy grits, although grit was British military slang for ''food'' in the 1930s; Southern dialect sense probably ironically fr Civil War use of the expression true Yankee grit by Northern soldiers and writers]


Idioms and Phrases with grit one's teeth

grit one's teeth

Summon up one's strength to face unpleasantness or overcome a difficulty. For example, Gritting his teeth, he dove into the icy water. This expression uses grit in the sense of both clamping one's teeth together and grinding them with effort. [ Late 1700s ]
Encyclopedia Article for grit one's teeth

grit

sedimentary rock that consists of angular sand-sized grains and small pebbles. The term is roughly equivalent to the term sandstone (q.v.).

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