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The quality or property of being in fragnebts, or broken pieces, incompleteness; want of continuity. G. Eliot.

Composed of fragments, or broken pieces; disconnected; not complete or entire. Donne.

ame or constructional part of anything; as, the framework of society. A staunch and solid piece of framework. Milton.

by friction; to chafe; to gall; hence, to eat away; to gnaw; as, to fret cloth; to fret a piece of gold or other metal; a worm frets the plants of a ship. With many a curve my banks I fret. Tennyson.

[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.

A dish made of fowls, veal, or other meat of small animals cut into pieces, and stewed in a gravy.

A device in which a piece on one shaft or pulley is so forcibly pressed against a piece on another shaft that the two will revolve together; as, in the illustration, the cone a on one shaft, when thrust forcibly into the corresponding hollow cone b on the other shaft, compels the shafts to rotate together, by the hold…

Any sculptured or richly ornamented band in a building or, by extension, in rich pieces of furniture. See Illust. of Column. Cornice or frieze with bossy sculptures graven. Milton.

An ornamental appendage to the border of a piece of stuff, originally consisting of the ends of the warp, projecting beyond the woven fabric; but more commonly made separate and sewed on, consisting sometimes of projecting ends, twisted or plaited together, and sometimes of loose threads of wool, silk, or linen, or nar…

A fragment; a shred; a small piece. And cut whole giants into fritters. Hudibras. Corn fritter. See under Corn.

A movable furrowed piece of steel struck by the flint, to throw sparks into the pan, in an early form of flintlock. Knight.

ord. Frock coat, a body coat for men, usually doublebreasted, the skirts not being in one piece with the body, but sewed on so as to be somewhat full. -- Smock frock. See in the Vocabulary.

That which covers the foremost part of the head: a front piece of false hair worn by women. Like any plain Miss Smith's, who wears s front. Mrs. Browning.

A contemptuous speech or piece of conduct; a gibe or flout. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

To batter; to break in pieces. [Obs.] I like thine armor well; I'll frush it and unlock the rivets all. Shak.

of a surface, or the preparing of an air space, by means of strips of board or of larger pieces. See Fur, v. t., 3.

lts at a temperature below that of boiling water. Ure. -- Fusible plug (Steam Boiler), a piece of easily fusible alloy, placed in one of the sheets and intended to melt and blow off the steam in case of low water.

A piece of iron imbedded in the sand of a mold to keep the sand in place.

A piece of ground appropriates to the cultivation of herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables.

Any article of clothing, as a coat, a gown, etc. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto old garment. Matt. ix. 16.