fray
verb
[ freɪ ]
• (of a fabric, rope, or cord) unravel or become worn at the edge, typically through constant rubbing.
• "cheap fabric soon frays"
Similar:
unravel,
wear,
wear thin,
wear out,
wear away,
wear through,
become worn,
become threadbare,
become tattered,
become ragged,
go into holes,
go through,
unravelling,
unravelled,
worn,
well worn,
threadbare,
tattered,
ragged,
holey,
moth-eaten,
shabby,
torn,
ripped,
split,
worn out,
worn through,
worn thin,
in holes,
in tatters,
falling to pieces,
the worse for wear,
tatty,
ratty,
raggedy,
• (of a male deer) rub (a bush or small tree) with the head in order to remove the velvet from newly formed antlers, or to mark territory during the rut.
• "bucks mark their territory by fraying small trees"
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French freiier, from Latin fricare ‘to rub’.
fray
noun
• a situation of intense competitive activity.
• "ten companies intend to bid for the contract, with three more expected to enter the fray"
Origin:
late Middle English: from archaic fray ‘to quarrel’, from affray ‘startle’, from Anglo-Norman French afrayer (see affray).
