Chafe
/tʃeɪf/noun
To rub or wear away by friction, or to become irritated or annoyed.
Did you know?In Middle English, chafe could mean both to warm by rubbing and to vex or irritate, showing how physical friction became emotional friction in the word’s history.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kap-
“to seize, grasp, take hold”
Latin
Latin
capere
“to seize, take”
Old French
Old French
chaufer
“to make warm, heat”
Middle English
English
chafen
“to warm by rubbing; to rub sore; to vex”
Modern English
English
chafe
“to wear or irritate by rubbing; to become annoyed”