ɡraɪnd v. & n. --v. (past
and past part. ground) 1 a tr.
reduce to
small particles or
powder by crushing
esp. by
passing through a mill. b intr. (of a mill,
machine, etc.)
move with a crushing
action. 2 a tr. reduce,
sharpen, or
smooth by
friction. b tr. & intr. rub or rub
together gratingly (grind one's teeth). 3 tr. (often foll. by down)
oppress;
harass with exactions (grinding poverty). 4 intr. a (often foll. by away)
work or
study hard. b (foll. by out)
produce with
effort (grinding
out verses). c (foll. by on) (of a sound)
continue gratingly or monotonously. 5 tr.
turn the handle of e.g. a coffee-mill, barrel-organ, etc. 6 intr. sl. (of a dancer) rotate the hips. 7 intr.
coarse sl.
have sexual intercourse. --n. 1 the
act or an
instance of grinding. 2 colloq. hard
dull work; a
laborious task (the
daily grind). 3 the size of ground particles. 4 sl. a dancer's
rotary movement of the hips. 5 coarse sl. an act of sexual intercourse. øgrind to a halt
stop laboriously. ground
glass 1 glass
made non-transparent by grinding etc. 2 glass ground to a powder. øøgrindingly adv. [OE grindan, of unkn. orig.]