I. ˈgrit, usu -id.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English gryt bran, chaff, from Old English grytt; akin to Old High German gruzzi bran, Old English grēot sand, grit — more at grit II
1. obsolete : milling offals : the coarse parts of meal : chaff
2. grits plural but singular or plural in construction
a. : coarsely ground hulled grain (as maize, wheat, or rice)
had boiled grits fried with side meat for supper
— compare hominy
b. : coarsely ground soybean oil cake used as a protein-rich supplement in animal rations and some commercial food products
II. noun
( -s ; see sense 4b )
Etymology: alteration (influenced by grit ) (I) of Middle English grete, greet, from Old English grēot; akin to Old High German grioz gravel, sand, Old Norse grjōt gravel, stone, Latin furfur bran, Greek kenchros millet, grain, Greek chrōs skin, Latvian graûds grain, Lithuanian graužas gravel; basic meaning: rubbing
1.
a. obsolete : sand , gravel
b. : a hard sharp granule (as of sand) ; also : material (as many abrasives) composed of such granules
2.
a. : a sandstone with grains of very unequal sizes
b. : a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
millstone grit
— called also gritrock
c. : a finer sharp-grained sandstone
grindstone grit
3. now dialect : earth , soil
4.
a. : the structure of a stone that adapts it to grind or sharpen
quarried stones of excellent grit
: hold of a grinding substance
a hone of good grit
b. plural grit : the size of abrasive particles usually expressed as their mesh
diamond dust of 80 grit
5. : firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage
6. usually capitalized : a Liberal in Canadian politics
Synonyms: see fortitude
III. verb
( gritted ; gritted ; gritting ; grits )
intransitive verb
: to give forth a grating sound
the dry snow gritting beneath our feet
transitive verb
1. : to cover or spread with grit ; especially : to smooth (as marble) by means of a coarse abrasive preparatory to polishing
2. : to cause (as one's teeth) to grind or grate
gritted his gears when shifting into high
3. : to utter harshly through or as if through gritted teeth