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Added 9 October 2026

chafe

/t͡ʃeɪf/ noun

Latin root: calefacere Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about chafe at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Soreness and warmth caused by friction.
he had a nasty chafe on his knee
Anger produced by some annoying irritation.

verb

Become or make sore by or as if by rubbing.
Feel extreme irritation or anger.
He was chafing at her suggestion that he stay at home while she went on a vacation
Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations.
Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me

Origin

Inherited 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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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