backbone, grit, guts, moxie, sand, gumption
(noun) fortitude and determination; “he didn’t have the guts to try it”
grit, gritrock, gritstone
(noun) a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
grit
(verb) clench together; “grit one’s teeth”
grit
(verb) cover with a grit; “grit roads”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
grit (uncountable)
A collection of hard small materials, such as dirt, ground stone, debris from sandblasting or other such grinding, or swarf from metalworking.
Sand or a sand–salt mixture spread on wet and, especially, icy roads and footpaths to improve traction.
Inedible particles in food.
A measure of the relative coarseness of an abrasive material such as sandpaper, the smaller the number the coarser the abrasive.
(geology) A hard, coarse-grained siliceous sandstone; gritstone. Also, a finer sharp-grained sandstone, e.g, grindstone grit.
Strength of mind; great courage or fearlessness; fortitude.
grit (third-person singular simple present grits, present participle gritting, simple past and past participle (nonstandard) grit or gritted)
Apparently only in grit one's teeth: to clench, particularly in reaction to pain or anger.
To cover with grit.
(obsolete, intransitive) To give forth a grating sound, like sand under the feet; to grate; to grind.
grit (plural grits)
(usually, in the plural) Husked but unground oats.
(usually, in the plural) Coarsely ground corn or hominy used as porridge.
• girt, trig
Canadian. From the Clear Grits.
Grit (plural Grits)
(Canada, politics) A member or supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada or one of its provincial wings (except for the Quebec provincial wing).
Grit (not comparable)
(Canada, politics) Of or belonging to the Liberal Party of Canada.
• girt, trig
Source: Wiktionary
Grit, n. Etym: [OE, greet, greot, sand, gravel, AS. greĂłt grit, sant, dust; akin to OS griott, OFries. gret gravel, OHG. grioz, G. griess, Icel. grjot, and to E. groats, grout. See Groats, Grout, and cf. Grail gravel.]
1. Sand or gravel; rough, hard particles.
2. The coarse part of meal.
3. pl.
Definition: Grain, esp. oats or wheat, hulled and coarsely ground; in high milling, fragments of cracked wheat smaller than groats.
4. (Geol.)
Definition: A hard, coarse-grained siliceous sandstone; as, millstone grit;
– called also gritrock and gritstone. The name is also applied to a finer sharp-grained sandstone; as, grindstone grit.
5. Structure, as adapted to grind or sharpen; as, a hone of good grit.
6. Firmness of mind; invincible spirit; unyielding courage; fortitude. C. Reade. E. P. Whipple.
Grit, v. i.
Definition: To give forth a grating sound, as sand under the feet; to grate; to grind. The sanded floor that grits beneath the tread. Goldsmith.
Grit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gritted; p. pr. &, vb. n. Gritting.]
Definition: To grind; to rub harshly together; to grate; as, to grit the teeth. [Collog.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
24 March 2025
(adjective) (music) marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds; cut short crisply; “staccato applause”; “a staccato command”; “staccato notes”
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
