| 释义 |
▪ I. fret, n.1|frɛt|
Also 4–9 frette, 5–6 frete, (6 Sc. fratt).
[app. a. OF. frete trellis-work, interlaced work (mod.F. frette, in the heraldic sense = 2).
This n. and the related fret v.2 are commonly believed to represent the OE. frætwe pl., ornaments, frætw(i)an to adorn, but this appears to be phonologically inadmissible, and many of the usual phraseological combinations of the words in ME. are paralleled by similar uses in OF.]
1. Ornamental interlaced work; a net; an ornament (esp. for the hair) consisting of jewels or flowers in a network.
c1385Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. A 147 A frette of goold sche hadde next hyre her. Ibid. B 228 In-with a fret of rede rose leves. 1390Gower Conf. II. 228 With frette of perle upon his hede. 1418E.E. Wills (1882) 36 Wroght wit mapil leues and fret of a iij. foill. c1475Sqr. lowe Degre 212 A ladyes head with many a frete. 1488in Tytler Hist. Scot. (1864) II. 392 A frete of the quenis oure set with grete perle. a1500Flower & Leaf 152 On her head A rich fret of gold..full of stately riche stones set. 1516Inventories (1815) 26 Item ane paclott of crammesy satene with ane fratt of gold on it with xii. diamantis. 1603Drayton Bar. Wars vi. xliii, About the Border, in a fine-wrought Fret Emblem's, Empressa's, Hieroglyphics, set. 1867Morris Jason vii. 190 Unto her fragrant breast her hand she set, And drew therefrom a bag of silken fret.
2. Her. Originally, a figure formed by two bendlets, dexter and sinister, intersecting; = F. frette. (Cf. fretty.) In later use, ‘a figure formed by two narrow bands in saltire, interlaced with a mascle’ (Cussans).
1572J. Bossewell Armorie ii. 85 b, The Fret borne in this Cote Armour, is founde borne also of diuerse noble Gentle⁓men. 1603Drayton Bar. Wars ii. xxiv, In his white Cornet, Verdon doth display A fret of Gueles. 1761Brit. Mag. II. 149 Arms..in the second and third, a fret, or. 1864Boutell Her. Hist. & Pop. xv. 224 Hugh, the head of the family, bears the frette without any difference.
3.
†a. Arch. Carved ornament, esp. in ceilings, consisting of intersecting lines in relief. Obs.
1626Bacon Sylva §111 We see in Garden-knots, and the Frets of Houses, and all equall and well answering Figures how they please. 1635Althorp MS. in Simpkinson Washingtons App. 71 To Butler and his boye..plastering the frett in the drawinge chamber. 1664Evelyn Archit. 138 Roofs..Emboss'd with Fretts of wonderful relievo.
b. An ornamental pattern composed of continuous combinations of straight lines, joined usually at right angles. Also attrib.
1664Evelyn tr. Freart's Arch. ii. ix. 110 The Fret..consists in a certain interlacing of two Lists or small Fillets, which run always in parallel distances equal to their breadth, with this necessary condition, that at every return and intersection they do always fall into right angles. 1665–76Rea Flora 8 A railed fret of twenty-three divisions. 1833J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 172 The fret, an ornament, either of open filigree work, or cast in bold relief..is placed immediately beneath the lowest bar or fret-rail, and in the best kind of stoves it is made stationary. 1836H. G. Knight Archit. Tour Normandy 199 The most common mouldings are the billet..the zig-zag or embattled frette. 1857Birch Anc. Pottery (1858) II. 4 The fret or herring-bone is of common occurrence on vases of the oldest style. 1879J. J. Young Ceram. Art 209 In the kylix on the right, the rectilinear designs and enclosed squares become the fret.
4. Comb., as fret-cutting vbl. n., the cutting of wood with a fret saw into ornamental designs; also attrib.; fretwood, wood prepared for fretwork (sense 2). Also fret-saw.
1881Young Every Man his own Mechanic §530 Small pieces of ornamental furniture..can be adorned most effectively by fret-cutting. Ibid. §663 A fret-cutting treadle⁓machine. 1885Bazaar 30 Mar. 1262/3, 12 ft. planed fret⁓wood.
▪ II. fret, n.2|frɛt|
Also 6 frete, freete, freate, 7 freat.
[f. fret v.1]
1. A gnawing or wearing away, erosion. Now rare. Also concr. † a canker, a fretting sore; a decayed spot (in the wood of a bow or arrow, in a hair).
1545R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 120 Freetes be in a shaft as well as in a bowe, and they be muche lyke a Canker, crepynge and encreasynge in those places in a bowe, whyche be weaker then other. 1639Fuller Holy Warre (1647) iv. iv. 173 This string to his bow is so full of gauls, frets, and knots, it cannot hold. 1681J. Chetham Angler's Vade-m. ii. §6 (1689) 10 Such [hairs] as are..free from Galls, Scabs and Frets. 1822–34Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) II. 82 The fret or erosion which frequently takes place in different parts of the skin. 1830Tennyson Poems 41 Before..the busy fret Of that sharpheaded worm begins.
fig.1580Babington Lord's Prayer (1596) 6 If thou desirest to be free from the fret of enuie..pray. 1581J. Bell tr. Haddon's Answ. Osor. 391 And now behold how many pumples and fretts lurke under this one skabbe of the popish doctrine. 1603Drayton Bar. Wars iii. xli, Time never toucht him with deforming Fret. 1606G. W[oodcocke] Iustine Gg 6b. He was a diligent repressor of Eunuches and Courtiers, calling them the mothes and frettes of the Pallace.
2. Pain in the bowels, gripes, colic. Also pl. Now dial. Cf. fret v.1 4.
1600Surflet Countrie Farme ii. xlix. 316 Oile of [Jesamin]..will..appease the frets of yoong children. 1652Culpepper Eng. Physic. 161 Children..are troubled with winde in the stomach or belly, which they [Nurses] call the Frets. 1681W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 642 The fret, or mouldy-grubs. 1842Johnson Farmer's Encycl., Fret in farriery, a name sometimes applied to gripes or colic in horses or other cattle.
3. Agitation of mind; a ruffled condition of temper; irritation, passion, vexation; also, querulous or peevish utterance. In phr. fret of mind, fret and fever, fret and fume.
1556J. Heywood Spider & F. xliii. 38 This formost spider and flie in furious fret, Frowning ech on other. 1607Tourneur Rev. Trag. i. i. Wks. 1878 II. 6 The thought of that Turnes my abused heart-strings into fret. 1612Crt. & Times Jas. I (1849) I. 184 He is..blamed..as if he had hastened his brother's end by putting him into frets. 1647Trapp Comm. 2 Cor. xii. 5 They make us sick of the fret. 1664H. More Myst. Iniq xx. 77 It were a plague and fret of mind..to the poor credulous Laiety. 1724De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 145 My lord was in as great a fret as I. 1820Lamb Elia Ser i. South-Sea Ho., Situated as thou art..amid the fret and fever of speculation. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. iii. vii, A fret and fever that keeps heart and brain on fire. 1866Mrs. Gaskell Wives & Dau. xxix. (1867) 290 He heard his wife's plaintive fret. 1885Spurgeon Treas. Dav. Ps. cxxvii. 2 Those whom the Lord loves are delivered from the fret and fume of life.
†4. A sudden disturbance (of weather); a gust, squall (of wind); in early use also, agitation of waves. Obs.
1558W. Towrson in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 130 It [foresaile] was blowen from the yarde with a freat. 1583Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 24 Through Sicil his raging wyld frets..you sayled [Scyllæam rabiem experti]. 1590R. Ferris Voy. Bristow in Arb. Garner VI. 159 We were in a great fret by reason of the race. 1653–4Whitelocke Jrnl. Swed. Emb. (1772) I. 166 Such frets of weather in twenty howers time..that [etc.]. 1678H. Teonge Diary (1825) 269 At on this morning roase a frett of wind. a1734North Lives (1826) II. 316 Between Ireland and the height of the Cape, such frets of wind came down.
fig.1750Johnson Rambler No. 73 ⁋10 Frustrated of my hopes by a fret of dotage.
5. Secondary fermentation in liquors. Phr. on or upon the fret.
1664Beale Cider in Evelyn's Pomona 40 Men like or dislike drink, that hath more or less of the fret in it. 1703Art & Myst. Vintners 12 White Wines upon the Frett. 1710T. Fuller Pharm. Extemp. 1 Midling Ale..fresh, and not upon the fret. 1763Sir S. T. Janssen Smuggling laid open 111 The Officer should not dip when any Wines are upon the Fret. 1807Vancouver Agric. Devon (1813) 240 When every symptom of fret is wholly subsided, the cider is racked off. 1890Gloucestersh. Gloss., Fret, a gaseous fermentation of cider or beer.
6. Phr. on or upon the fret (see senses 3 and 4; perh. partly transf. from sense 5): in a state of agitation, irritation, ill-humour, or impatience.
1679Shadwell True Widow 6 'Tis some Roring Ranting Play that's upon the fret all the while. 1688Vox Cleri Pro Rege 3 But he fears nothing, when his Zeal and his Discretion are once upon the fret. 1704Addison Italy 160 The Surface..cover'd with Froth and Bubbles; for it [River] runs all along upon the Fret. 1705S. Whately in Perry Hist. Coll. Amer. Col. Ch. I. 166 Crying out whenever he is put upon the fret, ‘Govr Nicholson’. 1782F. Burney Cecilia x. x, The moment you have put him upon the fret, you'll fall into the dumps yourself. 1854De Quincey Autobiog. Wks. II. 280 Flanders..on the fret for an insurrectionary war. 1858R. S. Surtees Ask Mamma xxv. 94 He was always either on the strut or the fret.
Add: Also 9 freet. [4.] Restrict † Obs. to sense in Dict.b. In coastal areas: a mist or fog coming in from the sea, a sea fog; also, a light rain or drizzle. Chiefly north. dial.
1842–[see sea fret s.v. sea n. 18 e]. 1892R. O. Heslop Northumb. Words I. 305 Fret, freet, a wet fog. 1963Times 13 June 3/3 It was half past seven, the light was bad enough to have stopped play in an ordinary county match, with the fret coming like clouds of bonfire smoke across the ground. 1982P. Mann Eye of Queen 132 The rain slowed to a heavy fret and then stopped completely.
▪ III. fret, n.3|frɛt|
Also 5–6 freyte.
[of uncertain etymology.
Possibly a use of OF. frete ring, ferrule (see fret n.5). Another possibility is that it is connected with fret v. to rub (cf. quot. 1606).]
In musical instruments like the guitar, formerly a ring of gut (Stainer), now a bar or ridge of wood, metal, etc. placed on the fingerboard, to regulate the fingering.
c1500Prov. in Antiq. Rep. (1809) IV. 406 In myddest of the body [of Lute], the stryngis soundith best, For, stoppide in the freytes, they abydeth the pynnes wrest. 1565J. Calfhill Answ. Treat. Crosse 21 b, If the strings be out of tune, or frets disordered, there wanteth the harmony. 1606Chapman M. D'Olive i. B 3 b, The string sounds euer well, that rubs not too much ath frets. 1698Phil. Trans. XX. 80 The Frets are nearer to one another toward the Bridge. 1788Cavallo ibid. LXXVIII. 242 In a set of musical keys, pipes, or frets, a temperament is absolutely necessary. 1837Blackw. Mag. XLI. 92 The violin, which once had six strings, with guitar frets, was fortunately relieved from these superfluities.
fig.1587Gascoigne's Wks., Hearbes, &c., Commend. Verse, Whose cords were coucht on frets of deepe disdaine.
attrib.1814Cary Dante, Parad. xx. 22 As sound Of cittern, at the fret-board..Is..modulate and tuned.
▪ IV. fret, n.4 rare.
[ad. OF. frete, fraite, fraicte, breach.]
A breach or passage made by the sea. (Quot. 1884 perh. belongs to fret n.2)
1587Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1537/2 They had no entrance at all, vntill the riuer had made a new fret. 1633T. Stafford Pac. Hib. iii. vi. (1810) 550 Before they could compasse the fret, or cleft rocky ground as aforesaid. 1884Times 15 Aug. 5 The sands had a tendency to accumulate in the Upper Mersey and..it was the ‘frets’ and erosion of the sand banks which counteracted this tendency.
▪ V. fret, n.5 Obs. exc. dial.|frɛt|
[a. OF. frete (mod.F. frette) a ferrule, ring (also spec. as below).]
(See quots.)
1688R. Holme Armoury iii. 332/1 The Frets..of a Wheel..are Iron Hoops about the Nave. 1887S. Cheshire Gloss., Fret, the belt of iron which goes round the nave of a wheel. Also called Clam.
▪ VI. † fret, n.6 Obs.
Also 7 frete.
[ad. L. fretum. (Perh. confused with fret n.4).]
A strait.
1576Sir H. Gilbert Disc. passage to Cataia i, An Islande [America]..hauing on the Southside of it the frete, or strayte of Magellan. 1610Holland Camden's Brit. i. 345 This Sea coast of Britaine is seperated from the Continent of Europe by a frete or streight. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. vii. xiii. 364 In this Euripe or fret of Negropont..Aristotle drowned himselfe, as many affirme. a1661Fuller Worthies (1840) III. 506 A small fret (known by the peculiar name of Menai) sundereth it from the Welch continent.
▪ VII. fret, v.1|frɛt|
Pa. tense and pple. fretted. Pres .pple. fretting. Forms: inf. 1 fretan, 2 freoten, 3–6 frete(n, 3 south. vreten, 5 fretyn, freete, 6 freat(e, 6–7 frett(e, 4– fret. pa. tense 1–2 frǽt, 3–4 fret(e, south. vret, freet, 4 frat(e, frette, 6 fret; also weak forms: 5 freted, 6– fretted. pa. pple. 1 freten, 4 freaten, fretyn(e, 5 frete, -ette; weak forms: 6– fretted; also 4–7 fret. Also 3–4 i-, yfrete(n, 5– 6 i-, yfret(te.
[OE. fretan str. vb. (conjugated like etan to eat) = MLG., MDu. vrēten (Du. vreten), OHG. frez̧z̧en (MHG. vrez̧z̧en, mod.G. fressen), Goth. fraitan (pret. frêt), f. OTeut. fra- (see for- prefix1) + *etan to eat.]
†1.
a. trans. Chiefly of animals: To eat, devour. Also with up and to eat of. Obs.
Beowulf 1582 He..fræt..fyftyne men. O.E. Chron. an. 894 Hie..hæfdon miclne dæl þara horsa freten. c1175Lamb. Hom. 133 Sum [sede feol] bi þe weie..and fuȝeles hit freten. c1205Lay. 274 Let þu þa hundes..eiðer freten oðer. a1225Ancr. R. 66 Þe coue..fret al þæt of hwat heo schulde uorð bringen hire cwike briddes. c1250Gen & Ex. 4027 Ðis leun sal oðer folc freten. a1300E.E. Psalter (Horstman) lxxix. 14 A beste frate it and nama. c1315Shoreham 161 Opone thy wombe thou schalt glyde, And erthe frete. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xviii 194 Adam after⁓ward aȝeines hus defence Frette of þat fruit. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 1951 Ariadne, And into a prysoun..cast is he Tyl..he shulde fretyn be. c1394P. Pl. Crede 729 Þey freten vp the furste froyt & falsliche lybbeþ.
absol.1377Langl. P. Pl. B. ii. 95 And in fastyng-dayes to frete ar ful tyme were. 1447O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb.) 71 Have of thine own and faste gyne to frete.
†b. transf. To devour, consume, destroy. Obs.
c1000ælfric Deut. xxxii. 22 Fyr fryt land mid his wæstme. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 404 Þat þe flod nade al freten with freȝtande wawez. a1366Chaucer Rom. Rose 387 For alle thing it [tyme] fret and shal. 1388Wyclif Micah v. 6 Thei shulen frete the lond of Assur bi swerd. c1400Destr. Troy 9691 A tru to be takon..þaire men for to bery, And to frete hom with fyre.
absol.1583Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 67 Thee fyre heer on fretting [ignis edax] with blaze too rafter is heaued.
2. a. To gnaw; to consume, torture or wear away by gnawing. Now only of small animals: = eat 9. Also intr. (const. on, into).
a1200Moral Ode 274 Naddren and snaken..tered and freteð þe uuele speken. c1205Lay. 166 Heo [fleoȝen] freten þet corn & þat græs. c1275XI Pains of Hell 19 in O.E. Misc. 147 Wrmes habbeþ my fleys ifreten. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 6570 Vermyn grete..þe synful men sal gnaw and frete. 1340–70Alisaunder 1159 Fayre handes & feete freaten too the bonne. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 171 Wormes..frate so Julianus his neþer ende þat [etc.]. 1430–40Lydg. Bochas vii. ii. (1554) 166 b, His flesh gan turne to corrupcion Fret with wormes vpon eche partie. c1440Gesta Rom. lxvii. 384 (Add. MS.), I suffere thes todes to frete. c1450Lonelich Grail xlvii. 207 On his hondis he gan to frete. 1547–64Bauldwin Mor. Philos. (Palfr.) 127 The mothes and soft wormes fret the cloath. 1551Psalter xxxix. 12 Like as it wer a moth fretting a garment. a1577Gascoigne Flowers Wks. (1587) 92 The greedie wormes that linger for the nones, To fret vpon her flesh. 1601Holland Pliny I. 198 The Dragons put in their heads into their snout..and withall fret and gnaw the tenderest part. 1826Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Pop. Fallacies, Home is a Home, etc., We cannot bear to have our thin wardrobe eaten and fretted into by moths. 1864Swinburne Atalanta 1423 The..bee Flits through flowering rush to fret White or duskier violet.
fig.1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. ii. xix. (1495) 45 The fende..purposyth to chew and to frete the clene lyf of gode men.
b. To champ (the bit); also absol.
1835Lytton Rienzi v. ii, Fretting his proud heart, as a steed frets on the bit. 1850Blackie æschylus II. 67 A young colt That frets the bit..Art thou.
3. a. transf. of slow and gradual destructive action, as of frost, rust, disease, chemical corrosives, friction, the waves, etc.: = eat 10. Const. into, to (the result). Also with asunder, away, in pieces, off, out.
In this and the following senses this vb. has partly coalesced with fret v.4
a1225Ancr. R. 184 He uret him suluen, weilawei! ase þe uile deð. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 1040 Þe soyle by þat se halues..fel fretes þe flesch. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvi. vii. (1495) 557 The fome of syluer..fretyth awaye superfluytee of deed flessh. c1430in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems 183 Þe rust þat þi siluer duþ freete. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §20 The thistyll..freteth away the cornes nygh it. 1567G. Fenner in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 148 Our cable was fretted in sunder with a rocke. a1577Gascoigne Flowers Wks. (1587) 69, I may no praise unto a knife bequeath Wyth rust yfret though painted be the sheath. 1590R. Payne Descr. Irel. (1841) 5 The seas fretteth away the Ice and Snowe. 1594Plat Jewell-ho. iii. 37 Inkes that..would corrode or fret the paper in peeces. 1603Florio Montaigne (1634) 266 The Barble fishes..will set the line against their backes, and..presently saw and fret the same asunder. 1640Fuller Joseph's Coat vii. (1867) 182 Some thieves have..fretted off their fetters with mercury water. 1658W. Burton Itin. Anton. 158 The name of the City [on the coin] fretted out and quite worn away with age. 1660Boyle New Exp. Phys. Mech. xxii. 166 The Air..is so sharp, that in a short time it frets not only Iron Plates, but..Tiles upon the Roofs of Houses. 1727W. Mather Yng. Man's Comp. 74 The Copperas in the Ink will fret the Nibs. 1859Kingsley Misc. (1860) I. 106 An island fretted by every frost and storm. 1878Huxley Physiogr. 134 The river frets away the rocks along its banks.
absol.1526Tindale 2 Tim. ii. 11 Their wordes shall fret even as doeth a Cancre. 1597Gerarde Herbal i. lxxxiv. 135 The Onions do fret, attenuate or make thin. 1610Markham Masterp. ii. clxxiii. 484 Arsnick..eateth, and fretteth, being a very strong corrosiue. 1888Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. s.v., [Said of a grindstone] Capital stone, it frets (i.e. grinds) well.
b. fig. Chiefly of the passions, etc.: To ‘devour’, ‘consume’, torment; cf. eat 10 c. Also, to fret oneself. Obs. exc. in fret the heart, in which use this sense is now hardly distinguishable from 8.
c1200Ormin 16132 Hat lufe towarrd Godess hus me freteþþ att min herrte. 1390Gower Conf. III. 98 Full of..wrathfull thought He fret him selven all to nought. 1430–40Lydg. Bochas iv. i. (1554) 101 a, This Manlius was fret in his corage To greater worships sodainly to ascende. c1450How good Wife taught Doughter 80 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 185 Envyouse herte hym selfe fretithe, my dere childe. a1541Wyatt Poet. Wks. (1861) 47 So wrathful love..May freat thy cruel heart! a1547Surrey æneid iv. 126 Dido doth burne with loue, rage fretes her boones. 1600Holland Livy ix. xiv. (1609) 322 Their hearts alreadie fretted and cankered at the very roote, for the last disgrace received. 1711Steele Spect. No. 260 ⁋1 A crafty Constitution, and an uneasy Mind is fretted with vexatious Passions. 1748Richardson Clarissa (1811) III. xli. 241 It did tease me; insomuch that my very heart was fretted. 1849Saxe Poems, Proud Miss McBride, The very sigh That her stately bosom was fretting. 1856Hawthorne Eng. Note-bks. (1870) II. 59 So many curiosities drive one crazy, and fret one's heart to death.
†c. to fret out (time): to waste.
1608R. Armin Nest Ninn. (1880) 50 By the third is cald to question most that musically fret their time out in idle baubling.
†4. Said of pains in the stomach or bowels.
c1275XI Pains Hell 148 in O.E. Misc. 151 Gripes freteþ heore Mawen. c1440Promp. Parv. 179/1 Fretyn, or chervyn, torqueo.
5. To form or make by wearing away; = eat 11. With cognate obj. to fret its way.
1593Shakes. Rich. II, iii. iii. 167 Till they haue fretted vs a payre of graues, Within the Earth. 1605― Lear i. iv. 307 Let it stampe wrinkles in her brow of youth, With cadent Teares fret Channels in her cheekes. 1642Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. xix. 441 As if his eager soul, biting for anger at the clay of his body, desired to fret a passage through it. 1872C. King Mountain. Sierra Nev. iv. 87 A broad white torrent fretting its way along the bottom of an impassable gorge.
†6. intr. To make a way by gnawing or corrosion; lit. and fig.; = eat 12. Also with through. Const. into, to. Obs.
1399Langl. Rich. Redeles ii. 127 The ffresinge ffrost ffreted to here hertis. 1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxii. (Percy) 159 With knotted whyppes in the flesshe to frete. 1534Act 26 Hen. VIII, c. 9 The flud and rage of the sea..doth freate..in dyuers places. 1567Turberv. Epit & Sonn. (1837) 368 Eche lowering looke of yours, frets farther in my hart. 1614Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 1126 How dangerous it is, to suffer sinne to lye fretting into the soule! 1635N. Carpenter Geog. Del. ii. vii. 123 The Water..would sooner fret through and cause a passage, then make a stoppage. 1650Fuller Pisgah iv. v. 82 His streams [mouths of the Nile] fret one into another. Ibid. 373 Perforations which in process of time might fret in, and indent into the structure itself. 1676Wiseman Surg. i. xvii. 80 Many Wheals arose, and fretted one into another, with great Excoriation.
†7. intr. for refl. To become eaten, corroded, or worn; to waste or wear away; to decay, become corrupt. Also with asunder, off, out. Obs. Cf. fret v.4 2.
1486Bk. St. Albans B ij b, And that same penne shalle frete asonder, and fall a way. 1545R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 121 Bowes moost commonlye freate vnder the hande..for the heete of the hand. 1568Jacob & Esau ii. iv. in Hazl. Dodsley II. 218 If I had bidden from meat any longer, I think my very maw would have fret asunder. 1593Drayton Idea 170 Metals doe waste, and fret with Cankers Rust. 1657W. Rand tr. Gassendi's Life of Peiresc ii. 128 When passing through a coloured glasse, they [the Raies of the Sun] fret off, and carry with them some portion of the colour. 1761Earl of Haddington Forest-trees (1765) 23 They [Alder trees] fretted at the top and died. 1762Falconer Shipwr. ii. 299 The leather fretting..By friction wore must ever be supply'd. 1804Abernethy Surg. Observ. 111 The wound fretted out into a sore.
8. trans. To chafe, irritate. Chiefly with regard to the mind: To annoy, distress, vex, worry. Also, to fret oneself; and to bring into or to (a specified condition) by worrying. Cf. fret v.4 1.
c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 187/95 So þat þe salt scholde is woundene frete. 1535Coverdale Ps. xxxvi[i]. 1 Frett not thy self at the vngodly. 1546[see fretting vbl. n. 3]. 1594Forman Diary (1849) 26 She cam not to me, and I was marvailously freted with yt. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 77 You may as well forbid the Mountaine Pines To wagge their high tops..When they are fretted with the gusts of heauen. 1658Bromhall Treat. Specters i. 52 They that stood by mocked him, and he being fretted went away. 1693W. Freke Art of War ix. 265 Arrows..fret horse doubly more than Guns can. 1709Steele & Addison Tatler No. 160 ⁋9, I should have fretted my self to Death at this Promise of a Second Visit. 1768Goldsm. Good-n. Man i. i, I have tried to fret him myself. 1801Southey Thalaba xi. iii, The officious hand Of consolation, fretting the sore wound. 1820W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 207 The horses were urged and checked until they were fretted into a foam. 1825Ld. Cockburn Mem. iv. (1874) 190 They were fretted into something like contempt by the rejection of a claim. 1859Geo. Eliot A. Bede 32 The long-lost mother..once fretted our young souls with her anxious humours. 1867Trollope Chron. Barset I. xi. 91 The bishop..fretted himself in his chair, moving about with little movements.
absol.c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 173 Þe bladdre ne mai not be soudid if it be kutt..for..þe urine fretiþ and þat lettiþ þe souding. 1712Arbuthnot John Bull iii. v, Injuries from friends fret and gall more.
9. a. intr. for refl. To distress oneself with constant thoughts of regret or discontent; to vex oneself, chafe, worry. Often with additional notion of giving querulous and peevish expression to these feelings. Also, to fret and fume, and fret it out, and const. about, after, at, over, upon.
1551Robinson tr. More's Utop i. (1895) 75 He..so fret, so fumed, and chafed at it. 1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 46 [He] chafid and frettid like a proctor. 1602Marston Antonio's Rev. v. iii, Another frets, and sets his grinding teeth Foaming with rage. 1631Gouge God's Arrows iii. iii. 188 The more conspicuously are their evill deeds discovered: which makes them the more fret and fume. 1646J. Hall Horæ Vac. 53 Hanniball gallantly frets it out in Silius. 1699W. Dampier Voy. II. i. 81 He fretted to see his inferiours raised. 1709Steele Tatler No. 9 ⁋1 He neither languishes nor burns, but frets for Love. 1768Goldsm. Good-n. Man v, He only frets to keep himself employed. a1790B. Franklin Autobiogr. (1909) 79 Fretting about the money Collins had got from me. 1802R. Anderson Cumberld. Ball 43 Another neet'll suin be here, Sae divvent freet and whine. 1832Tennyson May Queen Concl. 45 Say to Robin a kind word, and tell him not to fret. 1833H. Martineau Manch. Strike i. 7 Don't fret, wife, we must do as others do. 1837E. G. G. Howard Old Commodore III. 69 Timothy began to fret upon it. 1854W. Collins Hide & Seek I. vii. 247 Don't forget the letter, sir, for I shan't fret so much after her, when once I've got that! 1865M. C. Harris Christine xi, She went through life..fretting at her lot. 1874L. Stephen Hours in Library (1892) II. v. 150 Englishmen were fretting under their enforced abstinence [etc.]. 1875W. S. Hayward Love agst. World 83 In secret, Jasper fretted and fumed. 1899Skeel & Brearley King Washington 224 In vain the captain fretted over the delay.
b. quasi-trans. With away, out.
1605Shakes. Macb. v. v. 25 A poore Player, That struts and frets his houre vpon the Stage. 1611L. Barrey Ram Alley iii. i. in Hazl. Dodsley X. 327 Now let him hang, Fret out his guts, and swear the stars from heaven. 1829I. Taylor Enthus. ix. 244 Many who..have fretted away an unblessed existence within..the monastery. 1858Froude Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 48 She had driven him from his country to fret out his life in banishment. 1879Farrar St. Paul (1883) 357 The Vibiuses..who..fretted their little hour on the narrow stage of Philippi.
10. a. intr. Of liquor: To undergo secondary fermentation. Obs. exc. dial.
1664Beale Cider in Evelyn's Pomona 36 When it [i.e. the Cider] is bottled it must not be perfectly fine, for if it is so, it will not fret in the bottle. a1680Butler Rem. (1759) I. 244 All Love at first, like generous Wine, Ferments and frets, until 'tis fine. 1775Sir E. Barry Observ. Wines 43 Some of the..more generous kind [of wine]..required great care to prevent them from fretting. 1888Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. 270 Fret, to ferment. 1897W. J. Sykes Princ. & Pract. Brewing 481 Often the secondary fermentation becomes unduly excited; the beer is then said to ‘fret’ or ‘kick up’.
transf.1804Poet Reg. 470 Beneath these butchers stalls..Where rankling offals fret in many a heap.
b. trans. (causatively). Also, to fret in: see quot. 1872.
1742Lond. & Country Brew. i. (ed. 4) 66 Without fretting or causing it to burst the Cask for Want of Vent. 1860O. W. Holmes Elsie V xxii. (1891) 313 Both were..old enough to have all their beliefs ‘fretted in’, as vintners say,—thoroughly worked up with their characters. 1872Cooley's Cycl. Pract. Receipts (ed. 5) 1185/2 The technical terms ‘sweating in’ and ‘fretting in’ are applied to the partial production of a second fermentation, for the purpose of mellowing down the flavour of foreign ingredients (chiefly brandy), added to wine.
11. intr. Of a stream, etc.: To move in agitation or turmoil, to flow or rise in little waves; to chafe. Often used with conscious metaphor and mixture of sense 9.
1727–46Thomson Summer 481 The..brook..fretting o'er a rock. 1803–6Wordsw. Intimat. Immort. xi, I love the brooks which down their channels fret. 1808Scott Marm. ii. Introd. 104 Scarce can Tweed his passage find, Though much he fret, and chafe, and toil. 1849C. Brontë Shirley xxi. 307 The mill-stream..fretting with gnarled tree-roots. 1888Bryce Amer. Commw. I. xiv. 189 Short sharp waves in a Highland loch, fretting under a squall against a rocky shore.
fig.1822Hazlitt Table-t. Ser. ii. iv. (1869) 81 A certain stream of irritability that is continually fretting upon the wheels of life. 1884W. C. Smith Kildrostan i. iii. 51 The stream of thought, Fretting against its limits and obstructions.
12. trans. (causatively). To throw (water) into agitation; to cause to rise in waves; to ruffle.
1794G. Adams Nat. & Exp. Philos. I. vi. 210 The surface of the water is fretted and curdled into the finest waves by the undulations of the air. 1839De Quincey Recoll. Lakes Wks. 1862 II. 54 Some great river..fretted by rocks or thwarting islands. 1858Lytton What Will He do i. iv, See..how the slight pebbles are fretting the wave. 1863Hawthorne Our Old Home 272 The surface [of the river]..being fretted by the passage of a hundred steamers. 1871Joaquin Miller Songs Italy (1878) 23 Not one gondola frets the lagoon.
13. dial. See quot.; cf. sense 4 and fret n.2 2.
1856Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XVII. ii. 482 The grassland in this district is peculiarly liable to scour (‘fret’) the young cattle.
▪ VIII. fret, v.2|frɛt|
Forms: inf. 4–7 frett(e, (5 freett, 6 freat), 5– fret. pa. tense 5 fret. pa. pple. 4–7 fret(t(e, (5 freit, freyt), 4–5 frettet, -it, -ut, 4– fretted. Also pa. pple. 4 ifreted.
[Perh. represents several distinct but cognate words. In part this word seems to be a. OF. freter (used in pa. pple. frete, = Anglo-Lat. frectatus, frictatus, frestatus, in the sense ‘ornamented with interlaced work, embroidered with gold, etc.’, also Her. ‘fretty’), f. frete: see fret n.1 In the architectural sense it agrees with fretish v.2; the two forms may be adoptions of the two stems of the OF. vb. *fraitir, fraitiss-. There may also have been an independent English formation on fret n.1
The common view, that fret represents OE. frætw(i)an, to adorn, seems inadmissible phonologically; but it is possible that the OE. vb., though not recorded after the 12th c., may have survived in speech, and have been confused with the Romanic vb.]
†1. trans. To adorn with interlaced work, esp. in gold or silver embroidery; in wider sense, to adorn richly with gold, silver, or jewels. Obs.
13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 1476 Fyoles fretted with flores & fleez of golde. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 9107 Other stanes of gret prys, With fyne gold wyre alle obout frett. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. ii. 11 Fetislich hir fyngres were fretted with golde wyre. c1400Beryn 3926 A swerd..wyth seyntur Ifreted all with perelis. c1450Golagros & Gaw. 318 Frenyeis of fyne silk, fretit ful fre. 1494Fabyan Chron. iv. lxix. 48 The Emperour..garnysshed the Crosse with many riche stones freit with golde. a1529Skelton Image Hypocr. 375 Curtle, cope and gowne With golde and perles sett And stones well iffret. 1577–87Holinshed Chron. III. 815/1 Ladies all in white and red silke, set vpon coursers trapped in the same sute, freated ouer with gold. Ibid. 857/1 The quire..sieled with cloth of gold, and thereon fret ingrailed bent clothes of silke. 1600Fairfax Tasso ix. lxxxii. 175 In his Turkish pompe he shone, In purple robe, ore fret with gold and stone. 1607Hieron Wks. I. 74 He could..haue fretted (as it were) the whole volume of the booke with excellencie of words. a1668Davenant Masque Wks (1673) 364 His bed-chamber door, and seeling, fretted with stars in Capital Letter.
b. transf. To variegate, chequer, form a pattern upon.
1601Shakes. Jul. C. ii. i. 104 Yon grey Lines That fret the Clouds, are Messengers of Day. 1839Longfellow Hyperion iii. 1 (1853) 142 White clouds sail aloft; and vapours fret the blue sky with silver threads.
2. Arch. To adorn (esp. a ceiling) with carved or embossed work in decorative patterns.
1611Shakes. Cymb. ii. iv. 88 The Roofe o'th Chamber With golden Cherubins is fretted. 1615Sir R. Boyle Diary (1886) I. 66, I compounded with my plaiserer to ffrett my parlor. 1667Pepys Diary (1879) IV. 322 The Duke of York's chamber..as it is now fretted at the top, is..one of the noblest and best-proportioned rooms. 1853Kingsley Hypatia xix. 218 Against the wall stood presses and chests fretted with fantastic Oriental carving.
transf. and fig.1602Shakes. Ham. ii. ii. 313 This Maiesticall Roofe, fretted with golden fire. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. vi. v. 336 Simple ignorance not fretted and embossed with malice..caused that desolation of Libraries in England. 1729Savage Wanderer i. 40 The solar fires now faint and wat'ry burn, Just where with ice Aquarius frets his urn! 1796Morse Amer. Geog. I. 559 Vaulted by magnificent canopies, fretted with a variety of depending petrifactions. 1842H. Miller O.R. Sandst. viii. (ed. 2) 170 Its shelly armour was delicately fretted with the forms of circular or elliptical scales.
3. Her. To interlace.
1572J. Bossewell Armorie ii. 121 b, Hee beareth Or, a Lyon rampaunt d'Ermine, debrused with two Barruletes, and fret with the thirde, Sable. 1828–40Berry Encycl. Her. I, Fretting each other, interlacing each other.
▪ IX. † fret, v.3 Obs. rare.
[ad. OF. freter (Fr. fretter), f. OF. *frete (Fr. frette) ring, hoop.]
trans. To bind (properly, with a hoop or ring). Also fig.
1401Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 41 Foxes frettid in fere wasten the cornes. c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iv. xxviii. (1869) 190 She was bounden with hoopes, and faste fretted [fretee]. Ibid. xxix. 191 She is bounden and bounden ayen; fretted [F. fretee] with obseruaunces. a1450Fysshynge w. Angle (1883) 8 Double the lyne and frete hyt fast yn þe top with a nose to fasten an your lyne.
▪ X. † fret, v.4 Obs.: merged in fret v.1 3–13.
[Of difficult etymology.
It might satisfactorily be explained as a. OF. *freiter = mod.F. dial. fretter, Pr. fretar, It. frettare:—vulgar L. *frictāre, freq. of L. fricāre to rub; but the OF. form has not been found. Cf. the synonymous OF. froter (F. frotter), which, in spite of phonological difficulties, some scholars connect with this group.]
1. trans. To rub, chafe. Also with away. Causatively: To make pass by rubbing; to cause (a keel) to graze.
13..Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xxxii. 978 Penaunce..freteþ a-wei þe fulþe of synne. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints, Clemens 283 Þai fretyt þare facis þane [faciem confricantes] Fore ferly & þis speke be-gane. c1450Two Cookery-bks. 113 Nym appeles, seth hem, let hem kele, frete hem thorwe an her syue. 1483Cath. Angl. 143/1 To Frete; fricare..to rubbe. a1547Surrey in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 27 Ne by coward dred..On shalow shores thy keel in perill freat. 1653H. Cogan Diod. Sic. 127 The inhabitants..know this tree..by the Elephants rubbing and fretting it. 1705Lond. Gaz. No. 4179/4 The Hair fretted short about the middle of her Mane.
fig.1581Lambarde Eiren. iv. xix. (1588) 602 The one of these Statutes doth not fret the other.
b. Of a bird: To preen (feathers).
1423Jas. I Kingis Q. xxxv, Freschly in thaire birdis kynd arraid Thaire fetheris new, and fret thame In the sonne.
2. intr. To rub, produce friction; to fray out.
1643Fuller Inaug. Serm. §23 That his curtesies might not unravell or fret out hath bound them with a strong border. 1660Sharrock Vegetables 147 Such positions, that one [branch] may not easily fret upon another. 1692Capt. Smith's Seaman's Gram. i. xvi. 81 To Serve a Rope, is to wind something about it, to keep it from fretting out. 1768–74Tucker Lt. Nat. (1852) II. 587 Taking off the weight of difficulties, so that they may not fret upon the shoulders.
3. a. ? To have dealings with (cf. F. se frotter avec). b. ? To conflict, offend against. Obs.
(The interpretation of the words in these passages, and their identity with the present verb, are very doubtful.)
c1400Destr. Troy 12846 Hetis hom..to haue all hor hert wille, Of ffredom..fret with hom so, And all your will shall ye wyn. 1435Misyn Fire of Love 92 Slike frenschyp is pure naturel, & þerfore meyd ne vnmeyd, bot if it oght freyt [nisi aliquid moliatur] agayn godis commament, it is worþi.
▪ XI. fret, v.5|frɛt|
[f. fret n.3]
trans. To furnish (a guitar, etc.) with frets. Hence ˈfretted ppl. a.
1600Rowlands Lett. Humours Blood 5 While you your selues like musicke sounding Lutes fretted and strunge, gaine them their silken sutes. 1602Shakes. Ham. iii. ii. 388 [Punning use] Call me what Instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play vpon me. 1647Ward Simp. Cobler 39 Instruments may be well made and well strung, but if they be not well fretted, the Musique is marred. 1689Lond. Gaz. No. 2437/4 All sorts of fretted Instruments, especially Lutes and Viols. 1874Knight Dict. Mech. II. 1031 An instrument having the fretted neck of the former [the guitar].
▪ XII. † fret, v.6 Obs.
pa. pple. fret(t(e; also yfretted.
[ad. OF. freter, pa. pple. freté ‘garni’ (Godef.); perh. a use of freter fret v.2 Cf. freight pple. 1 b.]
trans. To furnish, stock, stud, supply. Chiefly in pa. pple. modified by advbs. full, thick, well.
13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 339 With alle þe fode þat may be founde frette þy cofer. c1400Rom. Rose 4705 Love, it is an hateful pees..A trouthe [Thynne and MS. And through the], fret full of falshede. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxx. 136 All þir greez er..frette full of perle and oþer precious stanes. c1400Ywaine & Gaw. 3160 A klub..Thik fret with mani a thwang. 1413Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iv. xxxii. 81 Armes..wel frett with senewes and al ful of veynes. 1430–40Lydg. Bochas v. vii. (1554) 127 a, A croune of fresh Laurer Forged of gold, fret full of stones clere.
▪ XIII. fret, ppl. a.
[pa. pple. of fret v.2]
Of a ceiling: = fretted ppl. a.2
1663Gerbier Counsel (1664) 45 Summers..to be framed in such proportion as may serve to make an Italian fret Seeling. 1720Strype Stow's Surv. I. ii. xiii. 191/1 This Church..was built in an Octangular Form with a fine fret Cieling. |