English Explanatory Dictionary

fray

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To rub or wear away (something); to cause (something made of strands twisted or woven together, such as cloth or rope) to unravel through friction; also, to irritate (something) through chafing or rubbing; to chafe.
  2. Of a deer: to rub (its antlers or head) against a tree, etc., to remove the velvet from antlers or to mark territory; also, to rub its antlers against (a tree, etc.) for that purpose.
  3. To force or make (a path, way, etc.) through.
  4. To bruise (someone or something); also, to take the virginity of (someone, usually a female person); to deflower.
  5. To become unravelled or worn; to unravel.
  6. To rub.
  7. Of a deer: to rub its antlers against a tree, etc., to remove the velvet or to mark territory.
  8. Of a person's mental strength, nerves, temper, etc.: to become exhausted or worn out.
noun
  1. A consequence of rubbing, unravelling, or wearing away; a fraying; also, a place where fraying has occurred.
verb
  1. To alarm or frighten (someone or something).
  2. Often followed by away, off, or out: to frighten or scare (someone or something) away.
  3. To assail or attack (someone or something); to drive (someone or something) away by attacking.
  4. To chase (someone or something) away; to disperse.
  5. To be afraid or frightened; to fear.
  6. To make an assault or attack; also, to create a disturbance; to brawl, to fight.
noun
  1. A noisy commotion, especially resulting from fighting; a brawl, a fight; also, a loud quarrel.
  2. A heated argument; a war of words.
  3. Conflict, disagreement.
  4. An assault or attack.
  5. A loud noise; a cacophony, a din.
  6. Fright, terror; (countable) an instance of this.
verb
  1. To bear the expense of (something); to defray.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

frā /fɹeɪ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-fray.wav

Word forms

fray frays fraying frayed no-table-tags glossary frayest frayedst frayeth

Etymology

The verb is derived from Late Middle English fraien (“to beat so as to cause bruising, to bruise; to crush; to rub; to wear, wear off”), borrowed from Old French fraier, freier, freiier (modern French frayer (“to clear, open up (a path, etc.); (figuratively) to find one’s way through (something); (obsolete) to rub”)), from Latin fricāre, the present active infinitive of fricō (“to chafe; to rub”), an intensive form of friō (“to break into pieces, crumble; to rub”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (“to cut”). Sense 1.2 (“to force or make (a path, way, etc.) through”) is derived from modern French frayer: see above. The noun is derived from the verb.

Synonyms

frazzle affray effray

Related words

affricate dentifrice fricative friction affray

Derived words

antifray frayable frayed fraying frayproof nonfraying unfrayed above the fray frayboggard make-fray

Translations

Bulgarian: оръфвам Bulgarian: износвам Bulgarian: протърквам Catalan: desfilar-se Catalan: esfilagarsar Chinese Mandarin: 开线 Czech: třepit Czech: roztřepit Czech: dřít Dutch: ontrafelen Finnish: liestyä Finnish: harsuuntua Finnish: purkaantua Finnish: rispaantua Finnish: hieroa French: effilocher Galician: esferpellar Galician: esfiañar Galician: esgarnachar Galician: esmarfallar Galician: esmilfar Galician: esmilfallar Galician: conroer Galician: esmoer Galician: luir Galician: relaer German: ausfransen Hebrew: התבלה Hebrew: ריפט Hungarian: elkoptat Hungarian: kikoptat Hungarian: koptat Hungarian: elnyű Hungarian: kirojtosít Hungarian: dörzsöl Hungarian: horzsol Māori: tāwekoweko Norwegian: rakne Occitan: desfilar Occitan: desfilargar Portuguese: desfiar Russian: расплета́ться Russian: распуска́ться Spanish: deshilachar Spanish: desflecar Spanish: deshilar Spanish: desflocar Spanish: destejer Turkish: çözülmek Ukrainian: торочитися Ukrainian: обтріпуватися Ukrainian: пошарпатися
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