DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan
Fret v. 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 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.
Fret·ted p. p. & a.
1. Rubbed or worn away; chafed.
2. Agitated; vexed; worried.
Fret·ted, p. p. & a.
1. Ornamented with fretwork; furnished with frets; variegated; made rough on the surface.
2. Her. Interlaced one with another; -- said of charges and ordinaries.
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fretted
adj 1: having frets [ant: unfretted]
2: having a pattern of fretwork or latticework [syn: interlaced,
latticed, latticelike]
fret
n 1: agitation resulting from active worry; "don't get in a
stew"; "he's in a sweat about exams" [syn: stew, sweat,
lather, swither]
2: a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion [syn:
worn spot]
3: an ornamental pattern consisting of repeated vertical and
horizonal lines (often in relief); "there was a simple
fret at the top of the walls" [syn: 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]
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]
5: cause annoyance in
6: gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The unjustice rankled
her"; "his resentment festered" [syn: eat into, 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]
10: cause friction; "my sweater scratches" [syn: rub, fray,
chafe, scratch]
11: remove soil or rock; "Rain eroded the terraces" [syn: erode,
eat away]
12: wear away or erode [syn: eat away]
[also: fretting, fretted]