grate

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
grate1

▶verb

• 1 reduce (food) to small shreds by rubbing it on a grater.

• 2 make an unpleasant rasping sound.

• 3 (often grate on) have an irritating effect.

– origin ME: from OFr. grater, of Gmc origin.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
grate2

▶noun the recess of a fireplace or furnace.

■ a metal frame for holding fuel in a fireplace or furnace.

– origin ME (meaning ‘a grating’): from OFr., based on L. cratis ‘hurdle’.