frayed
FRAYD
/freɪd/
Unraveled, worn, or ragged at the edge, typically of fabric, rope, or nerves.
Frayed implies wear caused by friction or age, where the individual threads of a fabric or rope begin to separate and unravel. Figuratively, it describes nerves or tempers worn thin by stress.
The story behind the word. The adjective 'frayed' comes from the verb 'fray', which entered Middle English from the Old French 'frier', meaning 'to rub'. This French word traces back to the Latin 'fricare' (to rub), which is also the ancestor of our word 'friction'. Thus, frayed fabric is literally fabric that has suffered from too much friction.
Word relationships
- tattered: Tattered implies torn and hanging in shreds, while frayed specifically means unraveled at the edges due to rubbing.
- unraveled: Unraveled means threads have come undone, but frayed emphasizes that this undoing was caused by wear and friction.
- intact: Intact means completely whole and undamaged, with no loose fibers.
Commonly confused with
- torn: Frayed fabric has loose, unraveled threads along its edges due to friction, whereas torn fabric has been ripped apart in a clean or jagged split.
Word family
- fray (verb): To wear away or unravel by rubbing.
- fraying (noun): The process of becoming worn or unraveled.
Collocations
- frayed cuffs
- frayed rope
- frayed nerves
- frayed edges
Idioms & expressions
- frayed at the edges
Example sentences
- "The rope was frayed to a thread, and the basket trembled over the abyss." A dramatic scene from a classic adventure novel.
Memory hook
Think of 'frayed' as fabric that has been 'rubbed' until the threads are 'afraid' of falling apart. Frayed: unraveled by friction.
When not to use
Do not use 'frayed' to describe a clean cut or a sharp rip in fabric; it must involve unraveled, fuzzy fibers.
Fun facts
- In biology, the protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes, called telomeres, are often compared to the plastic tips on shoelaces; when they wear down, the DNA 'frays,' leading to cellular aging.
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