fringe

[frinj]

See more synonyms for fringe on Thesaurus.com

noun

a decorative border of thread, cord, or the like, usually hanging loosely from a raveled edge or separate strip.
anything resembling or suggesting this: a fringe of grass around a swimming pool.
an outer edge; margin; periphery: on the fringe of the art world.

something regarded as peripheral, marginal, secondary, or extreme in relation to something else: the lunatic fringe of a strong political party.
Optics. one of the alternate light and dark bands produced by diffraction or interference.
fringe benefit.

verb (used with object), fringed, fring·ing.

to furnish with or as if with a fringe.
to serve as a fringe for, or to be arranged around or along so as to suggest a fringe: armed guards fringing the building.

Origin of fringe

1325–75; Middle English frenge < Old French (French frange) < Vulgar Latin *frimbia, metathetic variant of Late Latin fimbria, Latin fimbriae fringe

Related formsfringe·less, adjectivefringe·like, adjectivefring·y, adjectiveun·der·fringe, nounun·fringe, verb (used with object), un·fringed, un·fring·ing.

Synonyms for fringe

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

2. edge, border, skirt, rim.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for fringing

meet, reach, touch, follow, score, adjoin, inundate, besiege, envelop, ring, circle, encircle, surround, abut, flank, neighbor, fringe, march, extend, conjoin

Examples from the Web for fringing

Historical Examples of fringing

Now such a structure as this is what is termed a "fringing reef."
Coral and Coral Reefs
Thomas H. Huxley
He could not remember; anyhow here he was, a little out of hell, just fringing it as it were.
The Long Roll
Mary Johnston
He leaped from the rock and plunged through the fringing skeletons.
Lady Luck
Hugh Wiley
Indeed, half the beauty of the rug may lie in the fringing and finish.
How to make rugs
Candace Wheeler
Finish by tying them in a square knot and fringing the ends.
Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools
Virginia McGaw

British Dictionary definitions for fringing

fringe

noun

an edging consisting of hanging threads, tassels, etc
1. an outer edge; periphery
2. (as modifier)fringe dwellers; a fringe area
(modifier) unofficial; not conventional in formfringe theatre
mainly British a section of the front hair cut short over the forehead
an ornamental border or margin
physics any of the light and dark or coloured bands produced by diffraction or interference of light

verb (tr)

to adorn or fit with a fringe or fringes
to be a fringe forfur fringes the satin

Derived Formsfringeless, adjective

Word Origin for fringe

C14: from Old French frenge, ultimately from Latin fimbria fringe, border; see fimbria

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fringing

fringe

early 14c., from Old French frenge "thread, strand, fringe, hem" (early 14c.), from Vulgar Latin *frimbia, metathesis of Latin fimbriae (plural) "fibers, threads, fringe," of uncertain origin. Figurative sense of "outer edge, margin," is first recorded 1894. Related: Fringes. Fringe benefits is recorded from 1952.

fringe

late 15c., from fringe (n.). Related: Fringed; fringing.