Fray

[frey] /freɪ/

noun
1.
a fight, battle, or skirmish.
Synonyms: altercation, combat, war, clash, encounter, set-to.
2.
a competition or contest, especially in sports.
Synonyms: tournament, match, meet, tourney.
3.
a noisy quarrel or brawl.
Synonyms: fight, dispute, tiff, spat, squabble; riot, fracas, tussle, rumpus.
4.
Archaic. .
verb (used with object)
5.
Archaic. to frighten.
verb (used without object)
6.
Archaic. to fight or brawl.
[frey] /freɪ/
verb (used with object)
1.
to wear (cloth, rope, etc.) to loose, raveled threads or fibers at the edge or end; cause to ravel out:
Our old washing machine frayed all of our towels.
Synonyms: ravel, tatter, wear out, become threadbare.
2.
to wear by rubbing (sometimes followed by through).
3.
to cause strain on (something); upset; discompose:
All that arguing is fraying my nerves.
Synonyms: irritate, stress, chafe, grate on.
4.
to rub.
verb (used without object)
5.
to wear into loose, raveled threads or fibers, as cloth; ravel out:
My sweater frayed at the elbows.
6.
to become strained or stressed:
Jealousy could be a sign that your relationship is fraying.
7.
to rub against something:
tall grass fraying against my knees.
noun
8.
a raveled or worn part, as in cloth:
frays at the toes of well-worn sneakers.
/freɪ/
noun
1.
a noisy quarrel
2.
a fight or brawl
3.
an archaic word for fright
verb (archaic)
4.
(transitive) to frighten
/freɪ/
verb
1.
to wear or cause to wear away into tatters or loose threads, esp at an edge or end
2.
to make or become strained or irritated
3.
to rub or chafe (another object) or (of two objects) to rub against one another
noun
4.
a frayed place, as in cloth
n.

mid-14c., “feeling of alarm,” shortening of affray (q.v.; see also afraid). Meaning “a brawl, a fight” is from early 15c. (but late 14c. in Anglo-Latin). Fraymaker “fighter, brawler” is an excellent word from a 1530s statute.
v.

“wear out by rubbing,” c.1400, from Middle French frayer “to rub against,” from Old French froiier “rub, scrape,” from Latin fricare “to rub, rub down” (see friction). Related: Frayed; fraying.
see: enter the lists (fray)