Words of the Day 26/6/10

Chafe and Chaff
Chafe means "to make sore by rubbing" or "irritate or annoy" or "become annoyed." Chaff means "tease good-naturedly." Consequently, one should not become confused with the other.

chafe   [cheyf] verb, chafed, chaf·ing,  noun 
–verb (used with object)
1. to wear or abrade by rubbing: He chafed his shoes on the rocks.
2. to make sore by rubbing: Her collar chafed her neck.
3. to irritate; annoy: The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
4. to warm by rubbing: to chafe cold hands.
5. Obsolete . to heat; make warm.
–verb (used without object)
6. to become worn or sore from rubbing: His neck began to chafe from the starched collar.
7. to rub; press with friction: The horse chafed against his stall.
8. to be irritated or annoyed: He chafed at their constant interruptions.
–noun
9. irritation; annoyance.
10. heat, wear, or soreness caused by rubbing.
—Idiom
11. chafe at the bit, to become impatient at delay: The work was going very slowly, and he began to chafe at the bit.

Origin and History,
early 14c., chaufen, "to heat, rub with the hands to make warm," from O.Fr. chaufer "heat, warm up, become warm," from V.L. *calefare, from L. calefacere "to make hot, make warm," from calere "be warm" (see calorie) + facere "to make, do" (see factitious). Sense of "make sore by rubbing" first recorded 1520s. Figurative sense of "vex, anger, irritate" is attested from late 14c. Related: Chafed; chafing.

chaff1   [chaf, chahf] 
–noun
1. the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing.
2. straw cut up for fodder.
3. worthless matter; refuse.
4. the membranous, usually dry, brittle bracts of the flowers of certain plants.
5. Also called window. Military . strips of metal foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar by creating false blips.

Origin and History
"husks," O.E. ceaf, probably from P.Gmc. *kaf- "to gnaw, chew" (cf. M.Du. kaf, Ger. Kaff), from PIE base *gep(h)- "jaw, mouth."

Also note:

chaff2    [chaf, chahf]  
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
1. to mock, tease, or jest in a good-natured way; banter: She chaffed him for working late. They joked and chaffed with each other.
–noun
2. good-natured ridicule or teasing; raillery.

Answers to Which Words 020

Herbivore (c)an animal feeding on plants
Inflect (a)to bend
Jacuzzi (b)a type of spa

Which Words 021
  
Longeval (a)having long limbs (b)without company (c)living to a great age
Mignon (a)small and pretty (b)difficult to cultivate (c)to a great extent
Nubile (a)of a young women, marriageable (b)cloudy or foggy (c)harmful to health 

The answers will appear in the next word of the day

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