What does "fray" mean?
A consequence of rubbing, unravelling, or wearing away; a fraying; also, a place where fraying has occurred.
Fray
/fɹeɪ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A consequence of rubbing, unravelling, or wearing away; a fraying; also, a place where fraying has occurred.
- Grammar: fray is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: ablate, abrade, abrade, abrase.
- Useful contrasts: agree, calm, cooperate.
- Usage evidence: All this bickering is starting to fray my nerves.
How to use "fray"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fray" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
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Before you rely on this definition
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Definition decision workflow
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A consequence of rubbing, unravelling, or wearing away; a fraying; also, a place where fraying has occurred. archaic, intransitive, obsolete
"The laces frayed at the cut end."
- 2 A noisy commotion, especially resulting from fighting; a brawl, a fight; also, a loud quarrel. archaic, countable, obsolete
"Though they did not know the reason for the dispute, they did not hesitate to leap into the fray."
- 3 a noisy fight wordnet
- 4 A heated argument; a war of words. archaic, countable, figuratively, obsolete
- 5 Conflict, disagreement. archaic, obsolete, uncountable
"It is the chafing of the lion, and the stirring of the viper, that aggravates the danger; the first blow makes the wrong, but the second makes the fray; and they that will endure no kind of abuse in state or church, are many times more dangerous than that abuse which they oppose."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An assault or attack. archaic, countable, obsolete
- 7 A loud noise; a cacophony, a din. archaic, countable, obsolete
"Where window is open, cat maketh a fray, / yet wilde cat with two legs is worse by my fay."
- 8 Fright, terror; (countable) an instance of this. archaic, obsolete, uncountable
"Thus that fray vvas over, and vve came aſhore again: recovered of the fright vve had been in."
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. also, figuratively, transitive
"S. Paul alſo defineth the law to be the knowlege of ſyn, yͭ is, which accuſeth, frayeth the cõſcience, & maketh ſynnes knowen."
- 2 To alarm or frighten (someone or something). archaic, obsolete, transitive
"VVhy Dame (quoth he) vvhat hath ye thus diſmayd? / VVhat frayes ye, that vvere vvont to comfort me affrayd?"
- 3 To bear the expense of (something); to defray. archaic, obsolete, rare, transitive
"[T]he charge of my moſt curious, and coſtly ingredients fraide, amounting to ſome ſeaventeene thouſand crovvnes, a trifle in reſpect of health, vvriting your noble name in my Catalogue, I ſhall acknovvledge my ſelfe amply ſatisfi'd."
- 4 cause friction wordnet
- 5 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.; 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. also, figuratively, specifically, transitive
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 Often followed by away, off, or out: to frighten or scare (someone or something) away. archaic, obsolete, transitive
"VVhat, are the turtles fraid out of their neaſts?"
- 7 wear away by rubbing wordnet
- 8 To force or make (a path, way, etc.) through. transitive
- 9 To assail or attack (someone or something); to drive (someone or something) away by attacking. archaic, broadly, obsolete, transitive
- 10 To bruise (someone or something); also, to take the virginity of (someone, usually a female person); to deflower. obsolete, transitive
"[T]his ſame Ladie Dryopee, the fayreſt Ladye tho / In all the land of Oechalye. Whom beeing then no mayd / (For why the God of Delos and of Delphos had her frayd) / Andræmon taketh too hys wyfe, and thinkes him well apayd."
- 11 To chase (someone or something) away; to disperse. archaic, broadly, obsolete, transitive
"And this is it, that frayeth men from Chriſt, becauſe they are loath to vunder go his burthen and yoke, to caſt of the world, & leuing thẽſeluen behind thẽ to follow Chriſt."
- 12 To become unravelled or worn; to unravel. intransitive
- 13 To be afraid or frightened; to fear. archaic, intransitive, obsolete
- 14 To rub. intransitive
"Another distance, I do not know how far, of dry dark heather continually fraying against my knees, is traversed, when in front appears a coombe, overgrown with heather from summit to foot, and I stop suddenly."
- 15 To make an assault or attack; also, to create a disturbance; to brawl, to fight. archaic, intransitive, obsolete
"Then next is the Clinke, a Goale or Priſon for the Treſpaſſers in thoſe parts, namely, in old time for ſuch as ſhould brabble, fray, or break the peace on the ſaid Bank, or in the Brothel Houſes; […]"
- 16 To rub.; Of a deer: to rub its antlers against a tree, etc., to remove the velvet or to mark territory. intransitive, specifically
"His [a hart's] head when it commeth firſt out, hath a ruſſet pyll vpon it, the which is called Veluet,[…]. When his head is growne out to the full bigneſſe, then he rubbeth of that pyll, and that is called fraying of his head."
- 17 Of a person's mental strength, nerves, temper, etc.: to become exhausted or worn out. figuratively, intransitive
"The hectic day ended in her nerves frayed."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"All this bickering is starting to fray my nerves."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fray"?
Common synonyms include: ablate, abrade, abrade, abrase, abrasion, action.
How do you use "fray" in a sentence?
All this bickering is starting to fray my nerves.
How do you pronounce "fray"?
Pronounced /fɹeɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
From Late Middle English fraien (“to attack, invade; to make an attack; to brawl, fight; to make a loud noise (?); to frighten, terrify; to be frightened of (something), fear”), an aphetic variant of affraien (“to attack, invade; to harass; to brawl, fight; to riot; to reproach; to frighten, terrify; to be frightened of (something), fear; to alarm, disturb; to arouse, awaken, excite”) (whence affray), from Anglo-Norman affraier, afrayer (“to frighten, terrify; to disquiet; to disturb”) [and other forms], a variant of effreier, esfreier [and other forms], and Old French effreer, esfreer (“to frighten, scare; to be afraid”) [and other forms] (modern French effrayer), from Vulgar Latin *exfridāre, from Latin ex- (prefix indicating privation) + Frankish *friþu (“peace”) (from Proto-Germanic *friþuz (“peace, tranquility; refuge, sanctuary”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (“to love; to please”)).
Etymology 3
From Late Middle English frai (“an assault, attack; a brawl, fight; disturbance, uproar; fine for assault or breach of the peace”), an aphetic variant of affrai, effrai (“an assault, attack; a brawl, fight; disturbance, uproar; public disturbance, riot; dismay; fear; something frightening”), then: * from affraien (verb); and * from Anglo-Norman affrai, affrei [and other forms], a variant of effray, effrei, esfrei, esfroi, Middle French effray, esfroi, and Old French effrei, esfrei, esfroi (“breach of the peace, disturbance; noise; dread, terror”) (modern French effroi (“(literary) dread, terror”)), from Old French effreer, esfreer (verb). See further at etymology 2.
Etymology 4
An aphetic variant of defray.