Past participle of grit; having clenched one's teeth or persevered through difficulty with determination.
From Old English 'grytt,' meaning sand or gravel. The verb evolved from the noun, originally meaning to scrape or grind particles together, later metaphorically meaning to face difficulties with resolve.
Your teeth naturally grit together when you're nervous or determined—that grinding sensation gave us this word for tough persistence. It's why we say 'grit your teeth' when facing something hard.
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