fret

¹

[ fret ]

verb (used without object)

, fret·ted, fret·ting.

1. to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like:

   Fretting about the lost ring isn't going to help.

   Synonyms: rage, fume

2. to cause corrosion; gnaw into something:

   acids that fret at the strongest metals.

3. to make a way by gnawing, corrosion, wearing away, etc.:

   The river frets at its banks until a new channel is formed.

4. to become eaten, worn, or corroded (often followed by away ):

   Limestone slowly frets away under pounding by the wind and rain.

5. to move in agitation or commotion, as water:

   water fretting over the stones of a brook.

verb (used with object)

, fret·ted, fret·ting.

1. to torment; irritate, annoy, or vex:

   You mustn't fret yourself about that.

   Synonyms: tease, goad, harass, worry

2. to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc.:

   the ocean fretting its shores.

   Synonyms: rub, grind, abrade, corrode, gnaw, erode

3. to form or make by wearing away a substance:

   The river had fretted an underground passage.

4. to agitate (water):

   Strong winds were fretting the channel.

noun

1. an irritated state of mind; annoyance; vexation.

   Synonyms: worry, agitation, harassment

2. Now Rare.
   1. a wearing away; erosion; corrosion.
   2. a worn or eroded place.

fret

²

[ fret ]

noun

1. an interlaced, angular design; fretwork.
2. an angular design of bands within a border.
3. Heraldry. a charge composed of two diagonal strips interlacing with and crossing at the center of a mascle.
4. a piece of decoratively pierced work placed in a clock case to deaden the sound of the mechanism.

verb (used with object)

, fret·ted, fret·ting.

1. to ornament with a fret or fretwork.

fret

³

[ fret ]

noun

1. any of the ridges of wood, metal, or string, set across the fingerboard of a guitar, lute, or similar instrument, which help the fingers to stop the strings at the correct points.

verb (used with object)

, fret·ted, fret·ting.

1. to provide with frets.

fret

¹

/ frɛt /

noun

1. any of several small metal bars set across the fingerboard of a musical instrument of the lute, guitar, or viol family at various points along its length so as to produce the desired notes when the strings are stopped by the fingers

fret

²

/ frɛt /

verb

1. to distress or be distressed; worry
2. to rub or wear away
3. to irritate or be irritated; feel or give annoyance or vexation
4. to eat away or be eaten away by chemical action; corrode
5. intr (of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop; scab
6. to agitate (water) or (of water) to be agitated
7. tr to make by wearing away; erode

noun

1. a state of irritation or anxiety
2. the result of fretting; corrosion
3. a hole or channel caused by fretting

fret

³

/ frɛt /

noun

1. a repetitive geometrical figure, esp one used as an ornamental border
2. such a pattern made in relief and with numerous small openings; fretwork
3. heraldry a charge on a shield consisting of a mascle crossed by a saltire

verb

1. tr to ornament with fret or fretwork

fret

⁴

/ frɛt /

noun

1. short for sea fret

Derived Forms

• ˈfretless, adjective
• ˈfretless, adjective

Other Words From

• fretter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fret¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English freten, freoten, vreten “to eat up, consume greedily, devour,” Old English fretan “to eat up, consume, devour”; cognate with Old Saxon fretan, Gothic fra-itan, Old High German frezzan ( German fressen “to feed, devour”), from Germanic fra-etan, equivalent to fra- for- ( def ) + etan eat ( def )

Origin of fret²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fret, frette, probably from Old French frete “trelliswork,” possibly from a Germanic source; compare Old English frættewian, frætwian, fretwian “to adorn, embroider, trim”

Origin of fret³

First recorded in 1490–1500; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of fret¹

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of fret²

Old English fretan to eat ; related to Old High German frezzan , Gothic fraitan , Latin peredere

Origin of fret³

C14: from Old French frete interlaced design used on a shield, probably of Germanic origin

Example Sentences

Had I looked at the screen instead of fretting I would have seen that truck was going to turn.

From BBC

Brussels frets about other EU member states now potentially rushing to secure good bilateral relations with Trump at the expense of unity.

From BBC

Do not fret — though this is undoubtedly a fraught time, you can always rely on home-y, warming comfort food for a bit of the pleasure found in a familiar bite.

From Salon

In fact, it is because I know how easily I could be lulled into another glazed-eyed week fretting over outstanding ballots in Philadelphia or Phoenix that I am staking out my position early, and publicly.

From Los Angeles Times

Let future generations of office holders fret about the annual $900-million hits on the state budget.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• agonize
• bother
• brood
• carp
• chafe
• fume
• fuss
• grieve