Grater
/ˈɡreɪ.tər/noun
A utensil with a rough or perforated surface used to shred food into small pieces.
Did you know?The verb grate originally meant to scrape or irritate, which is why modern English can describe both shredding cheese and deeply annoying someone.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*kratōną
“To scrape, scratch, or rub harshly; the reconstructed source of a Germanic scraping word-family.”
Old French
Old French
grater
“To scrape or rub against a surface, borrowed from a Germanic source.”
Middle English
English
graten
“To scrape, rub, or reduce something by friction.”
15th–16th Century
English
grate
“To shred or pulverize food by rubbing it against a rough surface.”
16th Century
English
grater
“An instrument used for grating or scraping food into small fragments.”
Modern English
English
grater
“A kitchen tool used to shred or finely reduce food.”