gratte

Gratte is a term used in French with several related meanings. It can function as a form of the verb gratter and, in colloquial speech, as a noun referring to a guitar. It also appears in fixed expressions and compounds, notably gratte-ciel meaning skyscraper.

As a verb form, gratte is the third-person singular present indicative form of gratter, meaning he or she scratches or scrapes something. It is used in descriptions of physical actions, for example il gratte le sol (he scratches the ground). The form also appears in various phrases derived from the same root, including contexts where scratching or scraping is involved. In everyday speech, gratte can occur in sentences describing itching or irritation, as in ça me gratte, meaning it itches me.

As a noun, gratte appears in slang as a shorthand for guitare, the guitar. In informal French, expressions like ma gratte are common among musicians and in popular culture to refer to one’s guitar. The term emphasizes the instrument by using the action of strumming or “grattando les cordes” in French slang.

In compounds, gratte-ciel is the most widely known example. The word combines gratte (scrape) and ciel (sky) and describes a tall building that seems to scrape the sky. This usage illustrates how the root sense of scraping or reaching toward the sky informs modern architectural terminology.

Overall, gratte functions across verb, noun, and compound usages, reflecting both literal actions of scratching and metaphorical notions linked to the guitar and tall buildings.