grind

Etymology 1

From Middle English grynden, from Old English grindan, from Proto-West Germanic *grindan, from Proto-Germanic *grindaną. Cognate with Saterland Frisian gríende, griene (“to grind, mill”), Dutch grinden (“to grind”, rare) and grind (“gravel, shingle”), Albanian grind (“to brawl, fight”).

verb

1. (transitive) To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.
2. (transitive) To shape with the force of friction.
   grind a lens; grind an axe
3. (metalworking) To remove material by rubbing with an abrasive surface.
4. (intransitive) To become ground, pulverized, or polished by friction.
   This corn grinds well.
   Steel grinds to a sharp edge.
5. To move with much difficulty or friction; to grate.
6. (sports, intransitive) To slide the flat portion of a skateboard or snowboard across an obstacle such as a railing.
7. (transitive) To oppress, hold down or weaken.
8. (slang, intransitive) To rotate the hips erotically.
   She said, "How'd you like to waste some time?" / And I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind 1984, Prince (lyrics and music), “Darling Nikki”, in Purple Rain, performed by Prince and the Revolution
9. (slang) To dance in a sexually suggestive way with both partners in very close proximity, often pressed against each other.
10. (video games) To repeat a task a large number of times in a row to achieve a specific goal.
    These enemies give lots of loot when killed, so many players fight them to grind for resources.
    The first level of the game is the best place to grind extra lives.
    Similarly, nearly all massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), such as Dungeons & Dragons Online, feature grind: Players repeat tasks, or often “quests”, to gain in-game currency to spend on weapons or other ancillary items. 2013, Will Luton, Free-to-Play: Making Money From Games You Give Away, New Riders, page 38
    To extend the variety past that, you'll need to unlock new units in each class, meaning you have to grind through the rather lengthy process of using every one of your class’ weapons and skills significantly across several matches. Feb 14 2015, Steven Strom, “Evolve Review: Middle of the food chain”, in Ars Technica
11. (transitive) To operate by turning a crank.
    to grind an organ
12. To produce mechanically and repetitively as if by turning a crank.
13. (computing, dated) To automatically format and indent code.
14. To instill through repetitive teaching.
    Grinding lessons into students' heads does not motivate them to learn.
15. (slang, Hawaii) To eat.
    Eh, brah, let's go grind.
16. (intransitive, slang) To work or study hard; to hustle or drudge.
    One evening, during evening work, Charlie was trying hard to do the verses which had been set to his form. […] Wilton, whose conduct had been more impertinent than that of any one else, said to Charlie— “I say, young Evson, how you are grinding.” “I have these verses to do,” said Charlie simply. 1862, Frederic W. Farrar, St. Winifred's: or the World of School
17. (transitive, slang) To annoy or irritate (a person); to grind one's gears.
    I need to pontificate on something that really grinds me. So here goes. I am sick and tired of lazy thinkers using the defense of “legislated morality.” 2003, Steven Wunderink, Minding Your Spiritual Business: Life Stories with Life Sense, page 139

noun

1. The act of reducing to powder, or of sharpening, by friction.
2. Something that has been reduced to powder, something that has been ground.
3. A specific degree of pulverization of coffee beans.
   This bag contains espresso grind.
4. A tedious and laborious task.
   This homework is a grind.
   Running again in more open agricultural country, the Harrogate line encounters a short downgrade before the stiff uphill grind to Harrogate begins. 1961 February, D. Bertram, “The lines to Wetherby and their traffic”, in Trains Illustrated, page 101
5. A grinding trick on a skateboard or snowboard.
6. (archaic, slang) One who studies hard.
   If you are at all bright, don't be a grind. Grinding may make a second-hand genius of you (for all the real things are dead), and if you become a genius you will be sure to smoke dope or swallow laudanum. They all did it. 1900, “Gifford Arthur Nelson”, in The Naughty-Naughtian, page 118
   […] I suppose I don't know much about books, compared with you—” “Oh, I was never much of a grind,” the other cut in hastily. 1911, Sunset, volume 27, page 440
7. (uncountable, music) Clipping of grindcore (“subgenre of heavy metal”).
8. (slang) Hustle; hard work.
   I pledge allegiance to the grind. I'm up early as hell tryna get mine.

Etymology 2

From Faroese grind (“pilot-whale meat”).

noun

1. A traditional communal pilot whale hunt in the Faroe Islands.