fray 1  (fr ā)
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n.1. A fight; a brawl. See Synonyms at brawl. 2. A heated dispute or intensely competitive situation: "Minneapolis became the latest battleground in the fray over bio-engineering as hundreds of protesters took to the streets" (Todd Wilkinson). 3. A military engagement; a battle. tr.v. frayed, fray·ing, frays Archaic 1. To alarm; frighten. 2. To drive away.
[Middle English frai, shortening of affrai; see AFFRAY.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fray 2  (fr ā)
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v. frayed, fray·ing, frays v.tr.1. To strain; chafe: repeated noises that fray the nerves. 2. To wear away (the edges of fabric, for example) by rubbing. v.intr. To become worn away or tattered along the edges. n. A frayed or threadbare spot, as on fabric.
[Middle English fraien, to wear, bruise, from Old French fraier, to rub, from Latin fricāre.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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