Fret v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fretted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fretting.]
 1. To devour. [Obs.]
    The sow frete the child right in the cradle.   --Chaucer.
 2. To rub; to wear away by friction; to chafe; to gall; hence, to eat away; to gnaw; as, to fret cloth; to fret a piece of gold or other metal; a worm frets the plants of a ship.
    With many a curve my banks I fret.   --Tennyson.
 3. To impair; to wear away; to diminish.
 By starts
 His fretted fortunes give him hope and fear.   --Shak.
 4. To make rough, agitate, or disturb; to cause to ripple; as, to fret the surface of water.
 5. To tease; to irritate; to vex.
    Fret not thyself because of evil doers.   --Ps. xxxvii. 1.
 fretting
      See fret
 fret
      n 1: agitation resulting from active worry; "don't get in a
           stew"; "he's in a sweat about exams" [syn: stew, sweat,
            lather, swither]
      2: a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion [syn:
         worn spot]
      3: an ornamental pattern consisting of repeated vertical and
         horizonal lines (often in relief); "there was a simple
         fret at the top of the walls" [syn: Greek fret, Greek
         key, key pattern]
      4: a small bar of metal across the fingerboard of a musical
         instrument; when the string is stopped by a finger at the
         metal bar it will produce a note of the desired pitch
      v 1: worry unnecessarily or excessively; "don't fuss too much
           over the grandchildren--they are quite big now" [syn: fuss,
            niggle]
      2: be agitated or irritated; "don't fret over these small
         details"
      3: provide (a musical instrument) with frets; "fret a guitar"
      4: become or make sore by or as if by rubbing [syn: chafe, gall]
      5: cause annoyance in
      6: gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The unjustice rankled
         her"; "his resentment festered" [syn: eat into, rankle,
          grate]
      7: carve a pattern into
      8: decorate with an interlaced design
      9: be too tight; rub or press; "This neckband is choking the
         cat" [syn: choke, gag]
      10: cause friction; "my sweater scratches" [syn: rub, fray,
          chafe, scratch]
      11: remove soil or rock; "Rain eroded the terraces" [syn: erode,
           eat away]
      12: wear away or erode [syn: eat away]
      [also: fretting, fretted]