Fret"ted, p. p. & a. [See 5th Fret.] 1. Ornamented with fretwork;
furnished with frets; variegated; made rough on the surface.
2. (Her.) Interlaced one with another; -- said of charges and
ordinaries.
Fret"ten (?), a. [The old p. p. of fret to rub.] Rubbed; marked; as,
pock-fretten, marked with the smallpox. [Obs.] Wright.
Fret"ter (?), n. One who, or that which, frets.
Fret"ty, a. [See 5th Fret.] Adorned with fretwork.
||Fre"tum (?), n.; pl. Freta (#). [L.] A strait, or arm of the sea.
Fret"work (?), n. [6th fret + work.] Work adorned with frets;
ornamental openwork or work in relief, esp. when elaborate and minute
in its parts. Hence, any minute play of light and shade, dark and
light, or the like.
Banqueting on the turf in the fretwork of shade and sunshine.
Macaulay.
Frey"a (fr"), n. [Icel. Freyja.] (Scand. Myth.) The daughter of Njˆrd,
and goddess of love and beauty; the Scandinavian Venus; - - in Teutonic
myths confounded with Frigga, but in Scandinavian, distinct. [Written
also Frea, Freyia, and Freyja.]
Fri"a*bii"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. friabilitÈ.] The quality of being
friable; friableness. Locke.
Fri"a*ble (?), a. [L. friabilis, fr. friare to rub, break, or crumble
into small pieces, cf. fricare to rub, E. fray: cf. F. friable.] Easily
crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder. "Friable ground." Evelyn.
"Soft and friable texture." Paley. -- Fri'a*ble*ness, n.
Fri"ar (?), n. [OR. frere, F. frËre brother, friar, fr. L. frater
brother. See Brother.] 1. (R. C. Ch.) A brother or member of any
religious order, but especially of one of the four mendicant orders,
viz: (a) Minors, Gray Friars, or Franciscans. (b) Augustines. (c)
Dominicans or Black Friars. (d) White Friars or Carmelites. See these
names in the Vocabulary.