Adjacent Words

Fret definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FRET, v.t. [L. rodo, rosi, rado, to scrape. To fret or gnaw gives the sense of unevenness, roughness, in substances; the like appearance is given to fluids by agitation.]
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. Psalms 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, n.
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, etc., which being pressed against the strings varies the tone.
5. In heraldry, a bearing composed of bars crossed and interlaced.
FRET, v.t. To furnish with frets, as an instrument of music.
FRET, n. [L. fretum.] A frith, which see.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: agitation resulting from active worry; "don't get in a stew"; "he's in a sweat about exams" [syn: fret, stew, sweat, lather, swither]
2: a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion [syn: worn spot, fret]
3: an ornamental pattern consisting of repeated vertical and horizontal lines (often in relief); "there was a simple fret at the top of the walls" [syn: fret, Greek fret, Greek key, key pattern]
4: a small bar of metal across the fingerboard of a musical instrument; when the string is stopped by a finger at the metal bar it will produce a note of the desired pitch v
1: worry unnecessarily or excessively; "don't fuss too much over the grandchildren--they are quite big now" [syn: fuss, niggle, fret]
2: be agitated or irritated; "don't fret over these small details"
3: provide (a musical instrument) with frets; "fret a guitar"
4: become or make sore by or as if by rubbing [syn: chafe, gall, fret]
5: cause annoyance in
6: gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The injustice rankled her"; "his resentment festered" [syn: eat into, fret, rankle, grate]
7: carve a pattern into
8: decorate with an interlaced design
9: be too tight; rub or press; "This neckband is choking the cat" [syn: choke, gag, fret]
10: cause friction; "my sweater scratches" [syn: rub, fray, fret, chafe, scratch]
11: remove soil or rock; "Rain eroded the terraces" [syn: erode, eat away, fret]
12: wear away or erode [syn: fret, eat away]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (fretted; fretting) Etymology: Middle English, to devour, fret, from Old English fretan to devour; akin to Old High German frezzan to devour, ezzan to eat — more at eat Date: 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to eat or gnaw into ; corrode; also fray b. rub, chafe c. to make by wearing away a substance <the stream fretted a channel> 2. to cause to suffer emotional strain ; vex 3. to pass (as time) in fretting 4. agitate, ripple intransitive verb 1. a. to eat into something b. to affect something as if by gnawing or biting ; grate 2. a. wear, corrode b. chafe c. fray 1 3. a. to become vexed or worried b. of running water to become agitated II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a. the action of wearing away ; erosion b. a worn or eroded spot 2. an agitation of mind ; irritation III. transitive verb (fretted; fretting) Etymology: Middle English, back-formation from fret, fretted adorned, interwoven, from Anglo-French fretté, past participle of fretter to tie, probably from Vulgar Latin *firmitare, from Latin firmus firm Date: 14th century 1. a. to decorate with interlaced designs b. to form a pattern upon 2. to enrich with embossed or pierced carved patterns IV. noun Date: 14th century 1. an ornamental network; especially a medieval metallic or jeweled net for a woman's headdress 2. an ornament or ornamental work often in relief consisting of small straight bars intersecting one another in right or oblique angles V. noun Etymology: perhaps from Middle French frete ferrule, from freter Date: circa 1500 one of a series of ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument (as a guitar) • fretless adjective • fretted adjective VI. transitive verb (fretted; fretting) Date: 1602 to press (the strings of a stringed instrument) against the frets

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v. (fretted, fretting) 1 intr. a be greatly and visibly worried or distressed. b be irritated or resentful. 2 tr. a cause anxiety or distress to. b irritate, annoy. 3 tr. wear or consume by gnawing or rubbing. 4 tr. form (a channel or passage) by wearing away. 5 intr. (of running water) flow or rise in little waves. --n. irritation, vexation, querulousness (esp. in a fret). Etymology: OE fretan f. Gmc, rel. to EAT 2. n. & v. --n. 1 an ornamental pattern made of continuous combinations of straight lines joined usu. at right angles. 2 Heraldry a device of narrow bands and a diamond interlaced. --v.tr. (fretted, fretting) 1 embellish or decorate with a fret. 2 adorn (esp. a ceiling) with carved or embossed work. Etymology: ME f. OF frete trellis-work and freter (v.) 3. n. each of a sequence of bars or ridges on the finger-board of some stringed musical instruments (esp. the guitar) fixing the positions of the fingers to produce the desired notes. Derivatives: fretless adj. Etymology: 15th c.: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fret Fret (fr[e^]t), n. [Obs.] See 1st Frith.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fret Fret (fr[e^]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fretted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fretting.] [OE. freten to eat, consume; AS. fretan, for foretan; pref. for- + etan to eat; akin to D. vreten, OHG. frezzan, G. fressen, Sw. fr["a]ta, Goth. fra-itan. See For, and Eat, v. t.] 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 fretted fortunes give him hope and fear. --Shak. 4. To make rough, agitate, or disturb; to cause to ripple; as, to fret the surface of water. 5. To tease; to irritate; to vex. Fret not thyself because of evil doers. --Ps. xxxvii. 1.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fret Fret, n. [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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fret Fret, v. t. To furnish with frets, as an instrument of music.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fret Fret, v. t. [OE. fretten to adorn, AS. fr[ae]twan, fr[ae]twian; akin to OS. fratah[=o]n, cf. Goth. us-fratwjan to make wise, also AS. fr[ae]twe ornaments, OS. fratah[=i] adornment.] To ornament with raised work; to variegate; to diversify. Whose skirt with gold was fretted all about. --Spenser. Yon gray lines, That fret the clouds, are messengers of day. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fret Fret, v. i. 1. To be worn away; to chafe; to fray; as, a wristband frets on the edges. 2. 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 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. --Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fret Fret, n. 1. Ornamental work in relief, as carving or embossing. See Fretwork. 2. (Arch.) An ornament consisting of smmall fillets or slats intersecting each other or bent at right angles, as in classical designs, or at obilique angles, as often in Oriental art. His lady's cabinet is a adorned on the fret, ceiling, and chimney-piece with . . . carving. --Evelyn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fret Fret, n. 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(frets, fretting, fretted) 1. If you fret about something, you worry about it. I was working all hours and constantly fretting about everyone else's problems... But congressional staffers fret that the project will eventually cost billions more... Don't fret, Mary. This is all some crazy mistake. = worry VERB: V about/over n, V that, V 2. The frets on a musical instrument such as a guitar are the raised lines across its neck. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Rub, chafe, wear (by friction), abrade, fray, gall, wear away. 2. Vex, tease, irritate, gall, ruffle, provoke, nettle, affront, make angry. 3. Annoy, worry, weary, harass, wear. 4. Ripple, ruffle, agitate, roughen. 5. Wear, wear away, gnaw into, corrode, cover with depressions. 6. Variegate, diversify, ornament with raised or depressed work. 7. Ornament with frets or fretting or fretwork. II. v. n. Chafe, fume, rage, be vexed, be irritated, be chafed, be peevish, be fretful, be angry. III. n. 1. Agitation, irritation, vexation, fretfulness, fretting, peevishness. 2. Herpes, tetter, ringworm. 3. Fretwork, intertwined linear ornament, square raised ornament, key ornament. 4. Ridge, raised line, whelk, wale.

Moby Thesaurus

ablate, abrade, abrase, ache, achievement, aching, afflict, aggravate, agitate, agonize, ail, air a grievance, alerion, angina, animal charge, annoy, annulet, arabesque, argent, armorial bearings, armory, arms, arouse, azure, backache, bandeau, bar, bar sinister, bark, basketry, basketwork, baton, be concerned, be livid, be pissed, bearings, beat, beat up, beef, bellyache, bend, bend sinister, beset, billet, bitch, bite, blazon, blazonry, bleed, blemish, bloody, bluster, boil, bordure, bother, break, bristle, broad arrow, brood, brood over, browned off, bug, burn, burn to, cadency mark, cancellation, canton, carp at, carry on, cephalalgia, chafe, chaplet, charge, check, chevron, chief, chip, churn, churn up, clamor, claw, coat of arms, cockatrice, cockle, colic, collywobbles, complain, concern, convulse, coronet, crab, crack, craze, crescent, crest, croak, cross, cross moline, cross-hatching, crossing-out, crown, crucify, cut, device, difference, differencing, dimple, disarrange, discompose, disquiet, distress, disturb, dither, dog, dudgeon, eagle, earache, embitter, embitterment, erase, ermine, ermines, erminites, erminois, erode, escutcheon, exacerbate, exacerbation, exasperate, excite, excoriate, excruciate, exercise, falcon, ferment, fess, fess point, fester, field, file, filigree, flanch, flap, fleur-de-lis, flurry, fluster, flusteration, flustration, flutter, foofaraw, fracture, fray, frazzle, fret and fume, fret at, fretwork, fume, fur, fusil, fuss, fuss at, gall, garland, gash, get excited, give pain, gnaw, gnaw away, gnawing, go on, grate, grate on, grating, gravel, graze, grid, gridiron, grieve, griffin, grille, grillwork, grind, gripe, gripes, grit, groan, grouch, grouse, growl, grumble, grump, grunt, gules, gut-ache, gyron, hachure, harass, hardly wait, harrow, harry, hassle, hasten, hatching, hatchment, haunt, have a conniption, headache, heartburn, helmet, hemicrania, henpeck, heraldic device, high dudgeon, holler, honor point, hound, howl, huff, hurt, impalement, impaling, incense, incise, inescutcheon, inflame, inflict pain, injure, interlacement, intertexture, intertwinement, irk, irritant, irritate, irritation, itch to, jump the gun, kick, kill by inches, label, lace, lacerate, lacery, lacework, lacing, lather, lattice, latticework, lion, lodge a complaint, lozenge, maim, make mincemeat of, mantling, marshaling, martlet, martyr, martyrize, mascle, maul, megrim, mesh, meshes, meshwork, metal, miff, migraine, mope, motto, mourn, mullet, murmur, mutilate, mutter, nag, net, netting, nettle, network, nibble at, niggle, nip, nombril point, octofoil, odontalgia, or, ordinary, orle, otalgia, paddle, pain, pale, paly, pean, peck at, peeve, persecute, perturb, perturbate, pester, pet, pheon, pick at, pick on, pierce, pinch, pine, pine away, pique, pissed off, plague, plexure, plexus, pother, prick, prolong the agony, provocation, provoke, pucker, puncture, purpure, put to torture, pyrosis, quarter, quartering, rack, raddle, rage, raise Cain, raise a howl, raise hell, raise the devil, raise the roof, rankle, rant, rant and rave, rasp, rave, raze, register a complaint, rend, reticle, reticulation, reticule, reticulum, riddle, riffle, rile, rip, ripple, roil, rose, roughen, rub, rub away, rub off, rub out, ruffle, rumple, run, rupture, sable, saltire, savage, scald, scorch, scotch, scour, scrape, scratch, screen, screening, scrub, scuff, scutcheon, seethe, set on edge, set up, shake, shake up, shield, sick headache, sieve, simmer, sizzle, skin, slash, slit, smoke, smolder, sorrow, splitting headache, sprain, spread eagle, squawk, squirm, stab, stew, stick, sting, stir, stir the blood, stir up, stomachache, storm, strain, subordinary, sulk, sweat, sweat and stew, sweat it out, swirl, swivet, take on, tatter, tear, tenne, texture, throbbing pain, throw a fit, tiff, tincture, tissue, tizzy, toothache, torment, torse, torture, tracery, traumatize, trellis, trelliswork, tweak, twist, twitter, twitteration, unicorn, upset, vair, vert, vex, wait impatiently, wattle, wear, wear away, wear down, wear off, wear out, wear ragged, weather, weave, weaving, web, webbing, webwork, weft, whine, whip, whip up, whisk, wicker, wickerwork, work up, worry, wound, wreath, wrench, wring, yale, yap, yap at, yelp