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17 dictionary results for: Fret

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

fret1

[fret] Pronunciation Key verb, fret·ted, fret·ting, noun

–verb (used without object)

1.	to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like: Fretting about the lost ring isn't going to help.

2.	to cause corrosion; gnaw into something: acids that fret at the strongest metals.

3.	to make a way by gnawing, corrosion, wearing away, etc.: The river frets at its banks until a new channel is formed.

4.	to become eaten, worn, or corroded (often fol. by away): Limestone slowly frets away under pounding by the wind and rain.

5.	to move in agitation or commotion, as water: water fretting over the stones of a brook.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to torment; irritate, annoy, or vex: You mustn't fret yourself about that.

7.	to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc.: the ocean fretting its shores.

8.	to form or make by wearing away a substance: The river had fretted an underground passage.

9.	to agitate (water): Strong winds were fretting the channel.

–noun

10.	an irritated state of mind; annoyance; vexation.

11.	erosion; corrosion; gnawing.

12.	a worn or eroded place.

[Origin: bef. 900; ME freten, OE fretan to eat up, consume; c. OS fretan, Goth fraitan, OHG frezzan (G fressen)

]

—Related forms

fretter, noun

—Synonyms 1. fume, rage. 6. worry, harass, goad, tease. 7. erode, gnaw, corrode, abrade, grind, rub, rust. 10. harassment, agitation, worry.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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fret2

[fret] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, fret·ted, fret·ting.

–noun

1.	an interlaced, angular design; fretwork.

2.	an angular design of bands within a border.

3.	Heraldry. a charge composed of two diagonal strips interlacing with and crossing at the center of a mascle.

4.	a piece of decoratively pierced work placed in a clock case to deaden the sound of the mechanism.

–verb (used with object)

5.	to ornament with a fret or fretwork.

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME frette < ?; cf. MF frete trellis-work, OE fretwian, var. of frætwian to adorn

]

—Related forms

fretless, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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fret3

[fret] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, fret·ted, fret·ting.

–noun

1.	any of the ridges of wood, metal, or string, set across the fingerboard of a guitar, lute, or similar instrument, which help the fingers to stop the strings at the correct points.

–verb (used with object)

2.	to provide with frets.

[Origin: 1490–1500; orig. uncert.

]

—Related forms

fretless, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

fret¹   (frět) Pronunciation Key
v.   fret·ted, fret·ting, frets

v.   tr.

To cause to be uneasy; vex: "fret thy soul with crosses and with cares" (Edmund Spenser).
1. To gnaw or wear away; erode.
2. To produce a hole or worn spot in; corrode. See Synonyms at chafe.
To form (a passage or channel) by erosion.
To disturb the surface of (water or a stream); agitate.

v. intr.

To be vexed or troubled; worry. See Synonyms at brood.
To be worn or eaten away; become corroded.
To move agitatedly.
To gnaw with the teeth in the manner of a rodent.

The act or an instance of fretting.
A hole or worn spot made by abrasion or erosion.
Irritation of mind; agitation.

[Middle English freten, from Old English fretan, to devour; see ed- in Indo-European roots.]

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fret²   (frět) Pronunciation Key
n.   One of several ridges set across the fingerboard of a stringed instrument, such as a guitar.

tr.v.   fret·ted, fret·ting, frets

To provide with frets.
To press (the strings of an instrument) against the frets.

[Origin unknown.]

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fret³ (frět) Pronunciation Key

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n.

An ornamental design consisting of repeated and symmetrical geometric figures, often in relief, contained within a band or border. Also called key pattern.
A headdress, worn by women of the Middle Ages, consisting of interlaced wire.

tr.v. fret·ted, fret·ting, frets
To provide with such a design or headdress.

[Middle English, interlaced work, from Old French frete.]

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
fret (v.)

O.E. fretan "eat, devour" (in O.E., used of monsters and Vikings; in M.E., used of animals' eating), from P.Gmc. compound *fra- "for-" + *etan "to eat" (cf. Du. vreton, O.H.G. freggan, Ger. fressen, Goth. fraitan). Figurative sense of "irritate, worry, eat one's heart out" is c.1200. Modern Ger. still distinguishes essen for humans and fressen for animals.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
fret (n.)

"ornamental interlaced pattern," c.1386, from O.Fr. frete "interlaced work, trellis work," probably from Frank. *fetur (cf. O.E. fetor, O.H.G. feggara "fetter") perhaps from notion of "decorative anklet," or of materials "bound" together. The other noun, "ridge on the fingerboard of a guitar," is c.1500 of unknown origin but possibly another sense of O.Fr. frete.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

fret
noun
1.	agitation resulting from active worry; "don't get in a stew"; "he's in a sweat about exams"
2.	a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion [syn: worn spot]
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"
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
verb
1.	worry unnecessarily or excessively; "don't fuss too much over the grandchildren--they are quite big now" [syn: fuss]
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]
5.	cause annoyance in
6.	gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The injustice rankled her"; "his resentment festered" [syn: eat into]
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]
10.	cause friction; "my sweater scratches" [syn: rub]
11.	remove soil or rock; "Rain eroded the terraces" [syn: erode]
12.	wear away or erode

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Fret

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

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Fret

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

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