Free TranslationFree Translation
Synonyms, antonyms, pronunciation

  Home 		English Dictionary      examples: 'day', 'get rid of', 'New York Bay'




Fret   /frɛt/   Listen
noun
Fret  n.  (Obs.) See 1st Frith.


Fret  n.  
1.
The agitation of the surface of a fluid by fermentation or other cause; a rippling on the surface of water.
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."
3.
Herpes; tetter.
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  n.  
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."
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."
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  n.  
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.


verb
Fret  v. t.  (past & past part. fretted; pres. part. fretting)  
1.
To devour. (Obs.) "The sow frete the child right in the cradle."
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."
3.
To impair; to wear away; to diminish. "By starts His fretted fortunes give him hope and fear."
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."


Fret  v. t.  To ornament with raised work; to variegate; to diversify. " Whose skirt with gold was fretted all about." "Yon gray lines, That fret the clouds, are messengers of day."


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


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."
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."





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


Advanced search
     Find words:
Starting with
Ending with
Containing
Matching a pattern  

Synonyms
Antonyms
Quotes
Words linked to  

only single words


Share |




"Fret" Quotes from Famous Books



... of the earth's surface by a passing comet. It will come from the unfolding of the race mind, the process being now under way. Are not the signs of mental unrest and discomfort becoming more and more apparent as the days go by? The pain is growing greater, and the race is beginning to fret and chafe, and moan. It knows not what it wants, but it knows that it feels pain and wants something to relieve that pain. The old things are beginning to totter and fall, and ideas rendered sacred by years of observance are being brushed ...
— A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga • Yogi Ramacharaka
... fair and brilliant. She did not permit herself to be rendered unhappy or anxious as to the possible attitude of the King and Queen towards her, —she was prepared for all contingencies, and had fully made up her mind what to say. Therefore, there was no need to fret over the position, or to be timorously concerned because she was called upon to confront those who by human law alone were made superior in rank ...
— Temporal Power • Marie Corelli
... hotly. "It makes me think of what I read with him one day about that Roman emperor—what was his name?—playing while Rome was burning. But don't you fret, mother; London won't be burnt ...
— The Young Castellan - A Tale of the English Civil War • George Manville Fenn
... coast of Maine? If so, you know how the rocky shores stretch out now and then clear into the ocean, and fret the salt waves till they are all in a foam. Old Ocean is not to be so set at defiance and have his rightful territory wrung from him, without taking his revenge after his own fashion. Far up into the land he sends his arms, and ...
— The Boy Patriot • Edward Sylvester Ellis
... beginning to look completely fagged. Do let the house go. What do you fret over it for? If Nan wants alterations, why not let Mr. Turner engage competent people to do the work? You have responsibility enough without planning ...
— The Governess • Julie M. Lippmann


More quotes...


Copyright © 2025 e-Free Translation.com