Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Fret
Fret
(frĕt)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Fretted
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Fretting
.] 1.
To devour.
[Obs.]
The sow
frete
the child right in the cradle. Chaucer.
2.
To rub; to wear away by friction; to chafe; to gall; hence, to eat away; to gnaw;
as, to
fret
cloth; to fret a piece of gold or other metal; a worm frets
the plants of a ship.With many a curve my banks I
fret
. Tennyson.
3.
To impair; to wear away; to diminish.
By starts
His
His
fretted
fortunes give him hope and fear. Shakespeare
4.
To make rough, agitate, or disturb; to cause to ripple;
as, to
. fret
the surface of water5.
To tease; to irritate; to vex.
Fret
not thyself because of evil doers. Ps. xxxvii. 1.
Fret
,Verb.
I.
1.
To be worn away; to chafe; to fray;
as, a wristband
. frets
on the edges2.
To eat in; to make way by corrosion.
Many wheals arose, and
fretted
one into another with great excoriation. Wiseman.
3.
To be agitated; to be in violent commotion; to rankle;
as, rancor
. frets
in the malignant breast4.
To be vexed; to be chafed or irritated; to be angry; to utter peevish expressions.
He
frets
, he fumes, he stares, he stamps the ground. Dryden.
Fret
,Noun.
1.
The agitation of the surface of a fluid by fermentation or other cause; a rippling on the surface of water.
Addison.
2.
Agitation of mind marked by complaint and impatience; disturbance of temper; irritation;
as, he keeps his mind in a continual
. fret
Yet then did Dennis rave in furious
fret
. Pope.
3.
Herpes; tetter.
Dunglison.
4.
pl.
(Mining)
The worn sides of river banks, where ores, or stones containing them, accumulate by being washed down from the hills, and thus indicate to the miners the locality of the veins.
Fret
,Verb.
T.
[OE.
fretten
to adorn, AS. frætwan
, frætwian
; akin to OS. fratahōn
, cf. Goth. us-fratwjan
to make wise, also AS. frætwe
ornaments, OS. fratahī
adornment.] To ornament with raised work; to variegate; to diversify.
Whose skirt with gold was
fretted
all about. Spenser.
Yon gray lines,
That
That
fret
the clouds, are messengers of day. Shakespeare
Fret
,Noun.
1.
Ornamental work in relief, as carving or embossing. See
Fretwork
. 2.
(Arch.)
An ornament consisting of small fillets or slats intersecting each other or bent at right angles, as in classical designs, or at oblique angles, as often in Oriental art.
His lady’s cabinet is a adorned on the
fret
, ceiling, and chimney-piece with . . . carving. Evelyn.
3.
The reticulated headdress or net, made of gold or silver wire, in which ladies in the Middle Ages confined their hair.
A
fret
of gold she had next her hair. Chaucer.
Fret saw
, a saw with a long, narrow blade, used in cutting frets, scrolls, etc.; a scroll saw; a keyhole saw; a compass saw.
Fret
,Noun.
[F.
frette
a saltire, also a hoop, ferrule, prob. a dim. of L. ferrum
iron. For sense 2, cf. also E. fret
to rub.] 1.
(Her.)
A saltire interlaced with a mascle.
2.
(Mus.)
A short piece of wire, or other material fixed across the finger board of a guitar or a similar instrument, to indicate where the finger is to be placed.
Fret
,Verb.
T.
To furnish with frets, as an instrument of music.
Syn. – Peevish; ill-humored; ill-natured; irritable; waspish; captious; petulant; splenetic; spleeny; passionate; angry.
– Fretful
, Peevish
, Cross
. These words all indicate an unamiable working and expression of temper. Peevish marks more especially the inward spirit: a peevish man is always ready to find fault. Fretful points rather to the outward act, and marks a complaining impatience: sickly children are apt to be fretful. Crossness is peevishness mingled with vexation or anger. Webster 1828 Edition
Fret
FRET
,Verb.
T.
1.
To rub; to wear away a substance by friction; as, to fret cloth; to fret a piece of gold or other metal.2.
To corrode; to gnaw; to ear away; as, a worm frets the planks of a ship.3.
To impair; to wear away.By starts, his fretted fortunes give him hope and fear.
4.
To form into raised work.5.
To variegate; to diversify.Yon gray lines that fret the clouds are messengers of day.
6.
To agitate violently.7.
To agitate; to disturb; to make rough; to cause to ripple; as, to fret the surface of water.8.
To tease; to irritate; to vex; to make angry.Fret not thyself because of evil doers. Ps. 38.
9.
To wear away; to chafe; to gall. Let not a saddle or harness fret the skin of your horse.FRET
, v.i.1.
To be worn away; to be corroded. Any substance will in time fret away by friction.2.
To eat or wear in; to make way of attrition or corrosion.Many wheels arose, and fretted one into another with great excoriation.
3.
To be agitated; to be in violent commotion; as the rancor that frets in the malignant breast.4.
To be vexed; to be chafed or irritated; to be angry; to utter peevish expressions.He frets, he fumes, he stares, he stamps the ground.
FRET
,Noun.
1.
The agitation of the surface of a fluid by fermentation or other cause; a rippling on the surface of water; small undulations continually repeated.2.
Work raised in protuberances; or a kind of knot consisting of two lists or small fillets interlaced, used as an ornament in architecture.3.
Agitation of mind; commotion of temper; irritation; as, he keeps his mind in a continual fret.Yet then did Dennis rave in furious fret.
4.
A short piece of wire fixed on the fingerboard of a guitar, &c., which being pressed against the strings varies the tone.5.
In heraldry, a bearing composed of bars crossed and interlaced.FRET
,Verb.
T.
FRET
,Noun.