Gridiron
/ˈɡrɪd.aɪ.ən/noun
A metal framework of parallel bars, or a football field marked with yard lines.
Did you know?The word began as a cooking and metalworking term for an iron grating, and its “football field” meaning came later because the lined field looked like a giant grid.
Etymological Timeline
Old French
OF
gredil
“a small grid or grating”
Late Latin
LL
craticulum
“a small lattice or grating”
Latin
LA
crates
“wattle, hurdle, lattice”
Middle English
ME
gredyron
“an iron grating for cooking or holding things over a fire”
Modern English
EN
gridiron
“a metal framework of parallel bars; later, a football field marked with yard lines”