'gridiron' originates from Middle English as a compound of 'grid' (meaning 'a grating' or 'frame of bars') and 'iron' (the metal 'iron').

'gridiron' appeared in Middle English (forms like 'gridiroun'/'grediron') as a term for a cooking grate and eventually became the modern English word 'gridiron'.

Initially, it meant 'an iron grate for cooking'; over time (notably by the 19th century) it came to be applied figuratively to a football field because the field's yard lines resembled a grid.