grille

¹

or grill

[ gril ]

noun

1. a grating or openwork barrier, as for a gate, usually of metal and often of decorative design.
2. an opening, usually covered by grillwork, for admitting air to cool the engine of an automobile or the like; radiator grille.
3. any of various perforated screens, sheets, etc., used to cover something, as on a radio for protecting the amplifier or in cryptography for coding purposes.
4. a ticket window covered by a grating.
5. Court Tennis. a square-shaped winning opening on the hazard side of the court. Compare dedans ( def 1 ), winning gallery.

grillé

²

or gril·lée

[ French gree-yey ]

adjective

1. cooked on a grill; broiled.
2. Textiles. having an ornamental bar or grate pattern across the open areas of a lace motif.

grille

/ ɡrɪl /

noun

1. Also calledgrillwork a framework, esp of metal bars arranged to form an ornamental pattern, used as a screen or partition
2. Also calledradiator grille a grating, often chromium-plated, that admits cooling air to the radiator of a motor vehicle
3. a metal or wooden openwork grating used as a screen or divider
4. a protective screen, usually plastic or metal, in front of the loudspeaker in a radio, record player, etc
5. real tennis the opening in one corner of the receiver's end of the court
6. a group of small pyramidal marks impressed in parallel rows into a stamp to prevent reuse

Other Words From

• grilled adjective
• un·grilled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of grille¹

1655–65; < French, Old French < Late Latin *gratīcula, Latin crātīcula (compare Old Provençal grazilha ), diminutive of crātis

Origin of grille²

1680–90; < French: grilled; grille

Word History and Origins

Origin of grille¹

C17: from Old French, from Latin crātīcula fine hurdlework, from crātis a hurdle

Example Sentences

With its boxy body, chrome grille, round headlights and removable or soft top, it is practical, charming and not too flashy.

From Los Angeles Times

“Nothing Fixed” is full size, but feels more compact; circles, flowers and stripes, peering out through a butterfly-shaped grille of muddy, grade-school orange, feel eager but just out of reach.

From New York Times

Perched like a hood ornament, the eagle was draped across the front of the car and strapped in the vehicle’s grille, the sheriff’s office said.

From Seattle Times

They told me about the security grilles, cameras, alarms, and other equipment they'd installed to try to keep them and their staff safe.

From BBC

Miller acknowledged during cross-examination the “possibility” that the boys were killed by two separate cars, but he also testified that the injury patterns on Mark’s body matched the grille of Grossman’s car.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arbor
• lattice