The layman term for drain cover (grate) is manhole cover. Say "manhole cover" and garage floor drain grates of spies/heros making use of the underground sewage system popping out of manhole cover in Hollywood films appear.
Historically ever since Man invented the sewage system since the Roman Times to drain water and urban waste away for sanitation purposes, manhole covers (drain covers or grates as we would prefer to call them) have been invented out from the necessity to avoid people from falling into underground sewage and also prevent large objects from entering the drains which cause choking which eventually can lead to flooding.
Fast forward to the modern day, the sewage system is still in use under driveway trench drains . As opposed to crude stone manhole covers the Romans used in the ancient days, now we have special steel reinforced stone gratings that serve the thousand year old function of covering the inlets of our sewage system.
More than merely a cover, check out Jonite's range of drain covers (drain gratings) here: http://www.jonite.us/products/creative-grates
Historically ever since Man invented the sewage system since the Roman Times to drain water and urban waste away for sanitation purposes, manhole covers (drain covers or grates as we would prefer to call them) have been invented out from the necessity to avoid people from falling into underground sewage and also prevent large objects from entering the drains which cause choking which eventually can lead to flooding.
Fast forward to the modern day, the sewage system is still in use under driveway trench drains . As opposed to crude stone manhole covers the Romans used in the ancient days, now we have special steel reinforced stone gratings that serve the thousand year old function of covering the inlets of our sewage system.
More than merely a cover, check out Jonite's range of drain covers (drain gratings) here: http://www.jonite.us/products/creative-grates