Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FRAC'TIOUS, a.

Apt to break out into a passion; apt to quarrel; cross; snapppish; as, a fractious man.

FRAC'TIOUS-LY, adv.

Passionately; snappishly.

FRAC'TIOUS-NESS, n.

A cross or snappish temper.

FRAC'TURE, n. [L. fractura. See Break.]

1. A breach in any body, especially a breach caused by violence; a rupture of a solid body.
2. In surgery, the rupture or disruption of a bone. A fracture is simple or compound; simple, when the bone only is divided; compound, when the bone is broken, with a laceration of the integuments.
3. In mineralogy, the manner in which a mineral breaks and by which its texture is displayed; as, a compact fracture; a fibrous fracture; foliated, striated, or conchoidal fracture, &c. Kirwan.

FRAC'TURE, v.t.

To break; to burst asunder; to crack; to separate continuous parts; as, to fracture a bone; to fracture the skull. Wiseman.

FRAC'TUR-ED, pp.

Broken; cracked.

FRAC'TUR-ING, ppr.

Breaking; bursting asunder; cracking.

FRAG'ILE, a. [L. fragilis, from frango, to break.]

1. Brittle; easily broken. The stalk of ivy is tough, and not fragile. Bacon.
2. Weak; liable to fail; easily destroyed; as, fragile arms. Milton.

FRAG'ILE-LY, adv.

So as to be easily broken.

FRA-GIL'I-TY, n.

1. Brittleness; easiness to be broken. Bacon.
2. Weakness; liableness to fail. Knolles.
3. Frailty; liableness to fault. Wotton.

FRAG'MENT, n. [L. fragmentum, from frango, to break.]

1. A part broken off; a piece separated from any thing by breaking. Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. John vi.
2. A part separated from the rest; an imperfect part; as, fragments of ancient writings.
3. A small detached portion; as, fragments of time. Franklin.

FRAG'MENT-A-RY, a.

Composed of fragments. Donne.

FRAG'MENT-ED, a.

Broken into fragments.

FRA'GOR, n. [L. See Break.]

1. A loud and sudden sound; the report of any thing bursting; a loud harsh sound; a crash.
2. A strong or sweet scent. ; a chur [Obs.]

FRAGRANCE, or FRAGRANCY, n. [L. fragrantia, from fragro, to smell strong. Ar. أَرِجَ ariga, to emit or diffuse odor. The Arabic is without a prefix, and the word belongs probably to the great family of reach, stretch.]

Sweetness of smell; that quality of bodies which affects the olfactory nerves with an agreeable sensation; pleasing scent; grateful odor. Eve separate he spies, / Vailed in a cloud of fragrance. Milton. The goblet crown'd, / Breathed aromatic fragrancies around. Pope.

FRA'GRANT, a.

Sweet of smell; odorous. Fragrant the fertile earth / After soft showers. Milton.

FRA'GRANT-LY, adv.

With sweet scent. Mortimer.

FRAIL, a. [supposed to be from Fr. frêle, It. frale. Qu. L. fragilis, or from a different root.]

1. Weak; infirm; liable to fail and decay; subject to casualities; easily destroyed; perishable; not firm or durable. That I may know how frail I am. Ps. xxxix.
2. Weak in mind or resolution; liable to error or deception. Man is frail, and prone to evil. Taylor.
3. Weak; easily broken or overset; as, a frail bark.

FRAIL, n. [Norm. fraile.]

1. A basket made of rushes.
2. A rush for weaving baskets. Johnson.
3. A certain quantity of raisins, about 75 pounds. Encyc.

FRAIL'LY, adv.

Weakly; infirmly.

FRAIL'NESS, n.

Weakness; infirmity; as, the frailness of the body.

FRAIL'TY, n.

1. Weakness of resolution; infirmity; liableness to be deceived or seduced. God knows our frailty, and pities our weakness. Locke.
2. Frailness; infirmity of body.
3. Fault proceeding from weakness; foible; sin of infirmity; in this sense it has a plural.

FRAIS-CHEUR, n. [Fr.]

Freshness; coolness. [Not English.] Dryden.

FRAISE, n. [Fr. from It. fregio, ornament, frieze.]

1. In fortification, a defense consisting of pointed stakes driven into the retrenchments, parallel to the horizon. Encyc.
2. A pancake with bacon in it. [Obs.] Johnson.

FRAIS'ED, a.

Fortified with fraise.