Other forms: rasps
A rasp is a coarse file with raised teeth, for shaping wood. Work it with a rasp, a cabinet rasp, the rasp of the file.
The individual teeth are punched up one at a time rather than cut in rows, which is why a rasp removes wood so fast and leaves such a rough surface. As a verb and a noun it also names a harsh scraping sound.
1nounraspA coarse file with raised teeth, for shaping wood.
“The carpenter smoothed the rough edge of the table leg with a rasp.”
rasp is a tool.
Middle French raspe names the tool, from a Germanic root meaning to scrape or gather.
Middle English
raspen — to scratch, scrape
English, today
rasp
From Middle English raspen (“to scratch, scrape”). Compare Old High German raspōn (“to gather, rake”), Old English ġehrespan (“to plunder”). The noun is from Middle French raspe (whence Modern French râpe), of rasper, from Old French rasper (see above).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA