Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - fret

 I. verb  (~ted; ~ting)  Etymology: Middle English, to devour, ~, from Old English ~an to devour; akin to Old High German frezzan to devour, ezzan to eat — more at eat  Date: 12th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to eat or gnaw into ; corrode; also fray  b. rub, chafe  c. to make by wearing away a substance the stream ~ted a channel  2. to cause to suffer emotional strain ; vex  3. to pass (as time) in ~ting  4. agitate, ripple  intransitive verb  1.  a. to eat into something  b. to affect something as if by gnawing or biting ; grate  2.  a. wear, corrode  b. chafe  c. fray 1  3.  a. to become vexed or worried  b. of running water to become agitated  II. noun  Date: 15th century  1.  a. the action of wearing away ; erosion  b. a worn or eroded spot  2. an agitation of mind ; irritation  III. transitive verb  (~ted; ~ting)  Etymology: Middle English, back-formation from ~, ~ted adorned, interwoven, from Anglo-French ~te, past participle of ~ter to tie, probably from Vulgar Latin *firmitare, from Latin firmus firm  Date: 14th century  1.  a. to decorate with interlaced designs  b. to form a pattern upon  2. to enrich with embossed or pierced carved patterns  IV. noun  Date: 14th century  1. an ornamental network; especially a medieval metallic or jeweled net for a woman's headdress  2. an ornament or ornamental work often in relief consisting of small straight bars intersecting one another in right or oblique angles  V. noun  Etymology: perhaps from Middle French ~e ferrule, from ~er  Date: circa 1500 one of a series of ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument (as a guitar)  • ~less adjective  • ~ted adjective  VI. transitive verb  (~ted; ~ting)  Date: 1602 to press (the strings of a stringed instrument) against the ~s FRETFUL  adjective  Date: 1594 disposed to fret ; irritable, restless  • ~ly adverb  • ~ness noun