-frays-

n. [ OE. afrai, affrai, OF. esfrei, F. effroi, fr. OF. esfreer. See Affray, v. t. ] 1. The act of suddenly disturbing any one; an assault or attack. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Alarm; terror; fright. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A tumultuous assault or quarrel; a brawl; a fray. “In the very midst of the affray.” Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) The fighting of two or more persons, in a public place, to the terror of others. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ A fighting in private is not, in a legal sense, an affray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Quarrel; brawl; scuffle; encounter; fight; contest; feud; tumult; disturbance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One engaged in an affray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Affray. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Defrayed p. pr. & vb. n. Defraying. ] [ F. défrayer; pref. dé- (L. de or dis-) + frais expense, fr. LL. fredum, fridum, expense, fine by which an offender obtained peace from his sovereign, or more likely, atoned for an offense against the public peace, fr. OHG. fridu peace, G. friede. See Affray. ] 1. To pay or discharge; to serve in payment of; to provide for, as a charge, debt, expenses, costs, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

For the discharge of his expenses, and defraying his cost, he allowed him . . . four times as much. Usher. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To avert or appease, as by paying off; to satisfy; as, to defray wrath. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of defraying; payment; as, the defrayal of necessary costs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who pays off expenses. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Payment of charges. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ F. effrayer. See Affray. ] To frighten; to scare. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Frightful. [ Obs. ] Harvey. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Cf. OF. fraier. See Defray, v. t. ] To bear the expense of; to defray. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The charge of my most curious and costly ingredients frayed, I shall acknowledge myself amply satisfied. Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Frayed p. pr. & vb. n. Fraying. ] [ See 1st Fray, and cf. Affray. ] To frighten; to terrify; to alarm. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

What frays ye, that were wont to comfort me affrayed? Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OF. freier, fraier, froier, to rub. L. fricare; cf. friare to crumble, E. friable; perh. akin to Gr. chri`ein to anoint, chri^sma an anointing, Skr. gh&rsdot_;sh to rub, scratch. Cf. Friction. ] To rub; to wear off, or wear into shreds, by rubbing; to fret, as cloth; as, a deer is said to fray her head. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To rub. [ 1913 Webster ]

We can show the marks he made
When 'gainst the oak his antlers frayed. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To wear out or into shreads, or to suffer injury by rubbing, as when the threads of the warp or of the woof wear off so that the cross threads are loose; to ravel; as, the cloth frays badly. [ 1913 Webster ]

A suit of frayed magnificience. tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A fret or chafe, as in cloth; a place injured by rubbing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Abbreviated from affray. ] An angry quarrel; an affray; contest; combat; broil. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

Who began this bloody fray? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The skin which a deer frays from his horns. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. orfraie. Cf. Osprey, Ossifrage. ] (Zool.) The osprey. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. orfrais, F. orfroi; F. or gold + fraise, frise, fringe, ruff. See Fraise, and cf. Auriphrygiate. ] See Orphrey. [ Obs. ] Rom. of R. [ 1913 Webster ]