1. The field of play; a football field
2. The game itself, now often used to distinguish among football (soccer), rugby union, rugby league, and American football
The word derives from the same root as griddle, meaning a “lattice.” The original field was marked in a grid of crisscrossed lines; the ball would be snapped in the grid in which it was downed on the previous play. In modern usage, a gridiron—whether in cooking or football—is considered a surface with parallel lines. See also Gridiron football
