Dictionary definition · grating
noun
- a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
- a frame of iron bars to hold a fire
- optical device consisting of a surface with many parallel grooves in it; disperses a beam of light (or other electromagnetic radiation) into its wavelengths to produce its spectrum
adjective
- unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound"a gravelly voice"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).