Chafes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause soreness or discomfort by rubbing repeatedly against the skin or surface ; to experience irritation or impatience due to annoyance
2. To abrade or wear away through friction against a surface ; to show signs of agitation or vexation from a troubling situation
3. To rub so as to produce irritation or damage ; to be mentally or emotionally disturbed by something annoying or frustrating

Etymology: The verb "chafes" is simply the third-person singular of "chafe," so the real story belongs to the verb itself, and it is a surprise: "chafe" began as a word about warmth, not friction. Middle English "chaufen" meant "to warm," borrowed from Old French "chaufer," which came from Latin "calefacere," meaning "to make warm." That Latin word is built from "calere," "to be warm," and "facere," "to make," the same "make" that appears in "factory" and "fact." Over time the sense moved from heating to rubbing. Warming something often means rubbing it, and rubbing skin or cloth for long enough makes it sore, so "chafe" came to mean wearing away a surface by friction and then, more broadly, to irritate or fret. The modern figurative sense, as in being chafed by restrictions, grew out of that physical irritation.

Synonyms: irritates, rubs, abrasions

Antonyms: soothes, calms