Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Frete, Fret, v.¹ Also: freit, freatt, frate. P.t. fretit, fret. P.p. frete, fret. [ME. fret, frete(n, OE. fretan.]

1. tr. To gnaw; to rub or chafe; to injure by friction or by violence. a1400 Leg. S. xxi. 283.
Thai fretyt thare facis thane Fore ferly a1500 Henr. Fab. 139.
Riches … Quhilk maith, nor moyst, nor vther rust, can freit a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 1002.
Thai drewe him on the croce with violens, His wanys fret a1500 Quare of Jelusy 555.
As the tree is by the wormis frete [:bete, hete] a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 688.
That hevy croce Frettis the flesche and birssis all his banis 1513 Doug. iv. Prol. 69.
Beris twyte thar tuskis, and fret otheris skyn 1560 Rolland Seven S. 9553.
Of his gorget ane buckill or twa he fretts a1585 Maitl. Q. xlviii. 69.
Hir lippis & cheikis [are] pumice fretabsol. 1513 Doug. i. ii. 60.
The takillis graslis, cabillis can fret [Sm. freit] and frays

2. intr. To fret, be annoyed or vexed. a1570-86 Maitl. F. lxxxviii. 11.
Gif ȝe freit, find falt, or be offendit, Thair sawis to be suythe sum will suspect 1609 Bk. Univ. Kirk III. 1076.
After the reading thereof, some freated, and pressed to speak 1618 Lithgow Poet. Rem. 55.
I neede not buy, nor spende, nor lende, nor frate [: state] 1664 Carstairs Lett. 155.
That ye wolde not freatt and be discontent 1693 Cromarty Corr. I. 101.
The more the people ar thancfull and content, the mor others will freett