fray

Meaning

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.
2. 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.
3. To force or make (a path, way, etc.) through.
4. (obsolete) To bruise (someone or something); also, to take the virginity of (someone, usually a female person); to deflower.
5. To become unravelled or worn; to unravel.
6. To rub.
7. To rub.
8. Of a person's mental strength, nerves, temper, etc.: to become exhausted or worn out.

fight

become frayed

wear-out

wornout

frayed spot

dwarf round herring

green fry

disceptation

blue fry

dwarf herring

attrition wear

wear-and-tear

skirmishfight 1.

key sardine

engagment

abrade wear

ravel out

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fɹeɪ/

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.