fret

    [fret]
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Fret is defined as to feel worry or annoyance about something.verb

An example of fret is to fear a move into college.

The definition of a fret is a worry or an annoyance.noun

An example of fret is the fear of living by one's self for the first time.

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Search Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb fretted, fretting

  1. to eat away; gnaw
  2. to wear away by gnawing, rubbing, corroding, etc.
  3. to make or form by wearing away
  4. to make rough; disturb: wind fretting the water
  5. to irritate; vex; annoy; worry

Origin: ME freten < OE fretan, to devour, akin to Ger fressen, Goth fra-itan < Gmc prefix *fra- (OE for-: see for-) + *itan, to eat (OE etan: see eat)

intransitive verb

  1. to gnaw (into, on, or upon)
  2. to become eaten, corroded, worn, frayed, etc.
  3. to become rough or disturbed
  4. to be irritated, annoyed, or querulous; worry

noun

  1. a wearing away
  2. a worn place
  3. irritation; worry

Related Forms:

noun

  1. an ornamental net or network, esp. one formerly worn by women as a headdress
  2. an ornamental pattern of small, straight bars intersecting or joining one another, usually at right angles, to form a regular design, as for a border or in an architectural relief

Origin: ME frette, prob. merging of OFr frete (Fr frette), interlaced work, with OE frætwa, ornament (> ? OFr frete)

transitive verb fretted, fretting

to ornament with a fret

noun

any of several narrow, lateral ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a banjo, guitar, mandolin, etc. to regulate the fingering

Origin: OFr frette, a band, ferrule

transitive verb fretted, fretting

  1. to furnish with frets
  2. to press the strings (of a banjo, etc.) against the frets

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

 

Search The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

verb fret·ted, fret·ting, frets verb, transitive
  1. To cause to be uneasy; vex: “fret thy soul with crosses and with cares” (Edmund Spenser).
  2. a. To gnaw or wear away; erode.
    b. To produce a hole or worn spot in; corrode. See Synonyms at chafe.
  3. To form (a passage or channel) by erosion.
  4. To disturb the surface of (water or a stream); agitate.
verb, intransitive
  1. To be vexed or troubled; worry. See Synonyms at brood.
  2. To be worn or eaten away; become corroded.
  3. To move agitatedly.
  4. To gnaw with the teeth in the manner of a rodent.
noun
  1. The act or an instance of fretting.
  2. A hole or worn spot made by abrasion or erosion.
  3. Irritation of mind; agitation.

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

noun
One of several ridges set across the fingerboard of a stringed instrument, such as a guitar.
transitive verb fret·ted, fret·ting, frets
  1. To provide with frets.
  2. To press (the strings of an instrument) against the frets.

Origin: Origin unknown.

noun
  1. An ornamental design consisting of repeated and symmetrical geometric figures, often in relief, contained within a band or border. Also called key pattern.
  2. A headdress, worn by women of the Middle Ages, consisting of interlaced wire.
transitive verb fret·ted, fret·ting, frets
To provide with such a design or headdress.

Origin: Middle English, interlaced work, from Old French frete.

(click for a larger image)

fret3

fret designs

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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