fragile 
Other incident throes 
That nature's fragile vessel doth sustain 
In life's uncertain voyage. Shak., T. of A., v. 2. 
When subtile wits have spun their thread too fine, 
'Tis weak and fragile, like Arachne's line. 
Sir J. Denhant, Progress of Learning. 
Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm 
And fragile arms, much instrumentof war, 
Long in preparing, soon to nothing brought. 
Milton, P. K., Ui. 388. 
Yet seem'd the pressure twice as sweet 
As woodbine's fragile hold. 
Tennyson, Talking Oak. 
= Syn. Fragile, Frail; weak, infirm, slight, delicate. 
Fragile is nearly always restricted to the physical ; frail 
applies to the physical, but has also been extended to the 
moral. 
On a sudden a low breath 
Of tender air made tremble in the hedge 
The fragile bindweed-bells and briony rings. 
Tennyson, The Brook. 
How short is life! \\owfrail is human trust. 
Gay, Trivia, iii. 235. 
The Kanawits have a custom of sending much of their 
deceased chief's goods adrift in & frail canoe on the river. 
H. Spencer, Prin. of Sociol., 112. 
fragilely (fraj'il-li), adv. In a fragile manner, 
fragileness (fraj'il-nes), n. Fragility, 
fragility (fra-jil'i-ti), n. [< ME. fragilite, fra- 
gelite,< OF. fragilite, F. fragilite = Pr. fragilitat 
= Sp.fragilidad = Pg.fragilidade = It. fragilita, 
<1i.fragilita(t-)s, brittleness, <.fragilis, brittle: 
see fragile. Doublet of frailty.] The condition 
or quality of being fragile or easily broken; 
hence, weakness in general ; liability to be de- 
stroyed or to fail ; frailness. 
Wite ye fro wheus this cometh of the grete fragelite that 
Is In hem. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 433. 
Of fragility the cause is an impotency to be extended: 
and therefore stone is more fragile than metal. 
Bacon, Nat. Hist., 841. 
Honor seem'd in me 
To have forgot her own fragility. 
J. Beaumont, Psyche, 11. 57. 
The controversy as to the relative fragility, or the rela- 
tive difficulty, of popular government and other forms of 
government, appears to be a controversy of this kind. 
Fortnightly Rev., N. S., XXXIX. 171. 
fragment (frag'ment), n. [= D. G. Dan. Sw. 
fragment, < F. fragment = Pr. fragment = Sp. 
Pg. It. fragmento, (li.fragmeiitum, a fragment, 
remnant (cf. frogmen, a fracture, pi. fragmina, 
fragments), < frangere (/ "frag), break: see 
fraction.] A part broken off or otherwise sep- 
arated from a whole ; a small detached portion ; 
hence, a part of an unfinished whole, or of an 
uncompleted design: as, the fragments of a bro- 
ken vase, of Anacreon's poems ; this building is 
but a, fragment of the original plan. 
I saw ... a block of marble four feet diameter, which 
seem'd to have been the head of a colossal statue, and 
many pieces about it appear'd to be fragments of the 
same statue. Pococke, Description of the East, I. 12. 
Claudian, in his fragment upon the Gyants War, has 
given full Scope to that wildness of Imagination which 
was natural to him. Addison, Spectator, No. 333. 
As when rich China vessels, fall'n from high, 
In glitt'ring dust and painted fragments lie. 
Pope, R. of the L., iii. 160. 
Wolfenbiittel fragments, (a) Portions of a New Tes- 
tament codex, supposed to be of the fifth or sixth century, 
recovered about 1750 at Wolfenbiittel in Germany from a 
palimpsest of Isidore of Seville, (b) A rationalistic work 
on the Bible, by Reimarus, a German critic of the eigh- 
teenth century. =Syn. Bit, scrap, chip, remnant 
fragmental (frag'men-tal), a. [< fragment + 
-al.] Consisting of fragments; fragmentarily 
combined. 
Trap, granite, gneiss, and metamorphic and eruptive 
rocks generally, were giving way to the sedimentary and 
fragmental. Science, III. 226. 
fragmentarily (frag'men-ta-ri-li), adv. In a 
fragmentary manner ; piecemeal. 
Even the facts here fragmentarily collated point clear- 
ly to some common mode of genesis for both planets and 
satellites. J. Fislce, Cosmic Philos., I. 368. 
fragmentariness (frag'men-ta-ri-nes), n. [< 
fragmentary + -ness.] Th'e state or quality of 
being fragmentary; want of continuity; bro- 
kenness. 
This stupendous fragmentariness heightened the dream- 
like strangeness of her bridal life. 
George Eliot, Middlemarch, xx. 
fragmentary (frag'men-ta-ri), a. [< fragment 
+ -aryi.] 1. Composed of fragments or bro- 
ken pieces ; broken up ; hence, not complete 
or entire ; disconnected ; disjointed. 
What fragmentary rubbish this world is 
Thou know'st, and that it is not worth a thought. 
Donne, Progress of the Soul, Second Anniversary. 
It is only from little fragmentary portions of village 
churches that we learn that the round Gothic style was 
really at one time prevalent in the province. 
J. Fergusson, Hist. Arch., I. 523. 
He murmured forth in fragmentary sentences his hap- 
piness. George Eliot, Mill on the Floss, vi. 13. 
2358 
There is no complete man, but only a collection of frag- 
mentary men. 0. W. Holmes, Emerson, vi. 
2. Specifically, in gcol., made up of fragments 
of other rocks : said of rocks such as tufas, ag- 
glomerates, conglomerates, and breccias. 
fragmentation (t'rag-men-ta'shon), n. ^frag- 
ment + -ation.] A breaking up into parts or 
fragments; specifically, in zool., a breaking up 
into parts or joints which become new indi- 
viduals, as in some Schizomycetes : a form of 
fission. 
It not unfrequently happens, however, that groups of 
cells break away from their former connexion as longer 
or shorter straight or curved filaments, or as solid masses. 
In some filamentous forms t}n$ fragmentation into multi- 
cellular pieces of equal length or nearly so is a normal 
Shenomenon, each partial filament repeating the growth, 
ivision, and fragmentation as before. 
Encyc. Brit., XXI. 402. 
fragor 1 (fra'gor), n. [= Pg.fragor = It.fragore, 
< L. fragor, a breaking, a breaking to pieces, 
a crash, noise, < frangere (/* frag), break: see 
fraction.] A loud harsh sound; the report of 
something bursting ; a crash. [Rare.] 
Scarce sounds so far 
The direful fragor, when some southern blast 
Tears from the Alps a ridge of knotty oaks 
Deep fang'd, and ancient tenants of the rock. 
Watts, Victory of the Poles. 
fragor 2 t, fragourt (fra'gor), . [Irreg. < L. fra- 
grare, emit a scent: see 'fragrant.] A strong 
sweet scent. 
Gardens here for grandeur and frayour are such as no 
city in Asia outvies. 
Sir T. Herbert, Travels in Africa, p. 165. 
fragrance (fra'grans), n. [= Sp. Pg. fragran- 
cia = It. fragranz'a, fragranzia, < ML. "fragran- 
tia, < L. fragran(t-)s, fragrant: see fragrant.] 
The quality of being fragrant ; that quality of 
bodies which affects the olfactory nerves with 
an agreeable sensation; sweetness of smell; 
pleasing scent ; grateful odor. 
Eve separate he spies, 
Veil'd in a cloud of fragrance. Milton, P. L., ix. 425. 
The train prepare a cruise of curious mold, 
A cruise of fragrance, formed of burnish'd gold. 
Pope, Odyssey, vi. 
Cool Zephyrs through the clear blue sky 
Their gather'd/ra^rance fling. 
Gray, Spring. 
The south wind searches for the flowers whose fragrance 
late he bore. Bryant, Death of the Flowers. 
= Syn. Perfume, Aroma, etc. (see smell, n.); redolence, 
incense, balminess. 
fragrancy (fra'gran-si), n.; pl.fragrancies (-siz). 
Same as fragrance. 
The goblet, crown'd, 
Breathed aromatic fragranciei around. Pope. 
fragrant (fra'grant), a. [= F. fragrant = Sp. 
Pg. It. fragrante,<. ii.fragran(t-)s, sweet-scent- 
Pg. 
ed, 
ed, ppr. of fragrare, emit an odor (usually an 
agreeable odor).] Affecting the sense of smell 
in a pleasing manner; having a noticeable per- 
fume, especially an agreeable one : often used 
figuratively. 
How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shame 
Which, like a canker in the fragrant rose, 
Doth spot the beauty of thy budding name ! 
Shak., Sonnets, xcv. 
Fragrant the fertile earth 
After soft showers. Milton, P. L., iv. 645. 
Their fragrant memory will outlast their tomb, 
Embalm'd forever in its own perfume. 
Cowper, Conversation, 1. 631. 
Dark maples where the wood-thrush sings, 
And bowers of fragrant sassafras. 
Bryant, Earth's Children. 
= Syn. Sweet-smelling, sweet-scented, balmy, odorous, 
odoriferous, perfumed, redolent ; spicy, aromatic. 
fragrantly (fra'grant-li), adv. With fragrance. 
As the hops begin to change colour and smell fragrant- 
ly, you may conclude them ripe. Mortimer, Husbandry. 
fragrantness (fra'grant-nes), n. The quality 
of being fragrant; fragrance. 
frait, fraiet, n. and . Obsolete forms otfrayl. 
fraightt, a. Same as fraught. 
frail 1 (fral), a. [< ME. freyl, freel, frele, < OF. 
frele, F. frele (also uncontr. fragile), frail, = 
It. fraile, frale (also uncontr. fragile), < ii.fra- 
gilis, brittle, fragile: see fragile, which is a 
doublet of frail 1 .] 1. Easily broken or de- 
stroyed; fragile; hence, weak in any way; like- 
ly to fail and decay; perishable ; infirm in con- 
stitution or condition. 
I am ferd, by my faith, of thi frele yowth. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 829. 
Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of 
my days, what it is ; that I may know hovf frail I am. 
Ps. xxxix. 4. 
These houses are composed of the frail materials of the 
country, wood and clay, thatched with straw, though, in 
the inside, they are all magnificently lined, or furnished. 
Bruce, Source of the Nile, II. 623. 
frain 
More/7-at7 than the shadows on glasses. 
A. C. Swinburne, Poems and Ballads, Ded. 
2. Specifically, weak in moral principle or reso- 
lution; not strong to resist temptation to evil ; 
so weak as to be in danger of falling, or to have 
fallen, from virtue ; of infirm virtue. 
All flesh isfrayle and full of ficklenesse. 
Spcuser, *' Q..VI. i. 41. 
I know 1 am frail, and may be cozen'd too 
By such a siren. Beau, and Fl., Captain, iii. 1. 
Prodigious, this ! the /rail one of our play 
From her own sex should mercy find to-day ! 
Pope, Jane Shore, Epil. 
3. Weak-minded. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
4f. Tender in sentiment. 
Deep indignation, and compassion frail. Spenser. 
= Syn. 1. Fragile, Frail (see fragile) ; brittle, slight. 
frailH, v. t. [ME.frailen; Cfraifr, a."] To make 
frail. 
Thou bringest my body in' bitter bale, 
And fraill my sowle with thy f railte. 
Political Poems, etc. (ed. Furnivall), p. 218. 
frail 2 (fral), n. [< ME. fraiel, frayle, frayl, frey- 
el, < OF. fraiel, fraiaus (ML. fraellmn), a bas- 
ket; origin obscure.] 1. A flexible basket made 
of rushes, and used, especially in commerce, 
for containing fruits, particularly dried fruits, 
as dates, figs, or raisins. 
Great guns fourteen, three hundred pipes of wine, 
Two hundred frailes of figs and raisons fine. 
Mir. for Mags., p. 482. 
As in Grape-Harvest, with vnweary pains, 
A willing Troop of merry-singing Swains 
With crooked nooks the sprouting Clusters cut, 
In Frails and Flaskets them as quickly put. 
Sylvester, tr. of Dll Bartas's Weeks, ii., The Magnificence. 
Three frails of sprats, carried from mart to mart, 
Are as much meat as these, to more use travell'd. 
Fletcher (and another), Queen of Corinth, ii. 4. 
[Here is] a frail of figs, which I send to yourself (in the 
barrel of raisins). Winthrop, Hist. New England, I. 470. 
2. A rush used for weaving baskets. 3. Acer- 
tain quantity of .raisins, about 75 pounds, con- 
tained in a frail. 
frailly (fral'li), adv. [< fraiV- + -ly^.] In a 
frail manner; weakly; infirmly. Imp. Diet. 
frailness (fral'nes), n. The condition or qual- 
ity of being frail; weakness; infirmity; frailty. 
frailty (fral'ti), u. ; pi. frailties (-tiz). [< ME. 
freylte, freeltie, freletee, frelote, frelte, frealte, < 
OF. *frailite, Norm. * frealte (Mann), F. fragili- 
te, < L. fragilita(t-)s, brittleness: see fragility, 
which is a doublet of frailty.] 1. The condition 
or quality of being frail ; weakness of condition 
or of resolution; infirmity; liability to be de- 
ceived or seduced. 
Other for ye have kept your honestee, 
Or elles ye han f alle in freletee. 
Chaucer, Doctor's Tale (ed. Tyrwhitt), 1. 12012. 
To forget, may proceed from the Frailty of Memory. 
Hotvell, Letters, I. iv. 16. 
God knows our frailty [and] pities our weakness. Locke. 
2. A fault proceeding from human weakness; 
a foible ; a sin of infirmity. 
Finally for loue, there is no frailtie in flesh and bloud 
so excusable as it, no comfort or discomfort greater then 
the good and bad successe thereof. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 30. 
No further seek his merits to disclose, 
Or draw his frailties from their dread abode. 
Gray, Elegy. 
= Syn. Imperfection, failing. 
fraimentt, n. defrayment. 
frain 1 (fran), v. t. [Formerly also freine, fraine ; 
< ME. frainen, fraynen, freinen, freynen, < AS. 
frignan, also syncopated frinan (pret. frcegn, 
pi. frugnon, frunon, frunnon, pp. frvgnen) = 
OS. fregnan = Icel. fregna = Goth, fraihnan 
(pret. frah, pi. frehum, < pres. "fraihan), ask, 
with verb-formative - (prop, of pres. tense), 
parallel with AS. fricgan = Goth. .as if "frigjan, 
with verb-formative -j (-i), ask ; from the same 
root as OS. fragon = D. vragen = OHG. fragen, 
frdhen, MHG. vragen, G. fragen, ask; Teut. 
*freh = L. V "free in precari, ask, pray (whence 
ult. E. pray 1 , precarious, etc.), preces, prayers, 
procus, a wooer, etc., = OBulg. prositi, demand, 
= Skt. \/ prachh, ask. See pray 1 .] To ask. 
[Now only prov. Eng.] 
His bretheren and his sustren gonne hym freyne 
Whi he so sorwful was iu al his cheere. 
Chaucer, Troilus, v. 1227. 
This f olke frayned hym flrste fro whennes he come. 
Piers Plowman (B), v. 532. 
And she toke the yongcr in counseill and frayned her of 
many dyuers thynges. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 6. 
frain 2 t, [ME., also frayne, freyn, < OF. 
fraisne, freisne, frasne, fresne, F. fretic = Pr. 
fraisne, fraisse = Sp. fresno = Pg. freixo = It. 
frassino, < L. fraxinus, ash: see Fraxinus.] 
The ash; the ash-tree. 
