overfret en · VERB
Etymology
From over- + fret. Compare Middle English overfreten, ovirfretyn (past participle).
Meanings
-
(intransitive, reflexive) To fret excessively.
"I believe it was," replied Lord Norbourne, kindly taking his companion's hand. "I have learnt to think of my loss with a sadness that soothes me. I turn to her image when overfretted with worldly cares. I hope almost as she hoped for our re-union."
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Asking for an Invitation”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 23:But now come down from your pedestal, and do not overfret yourself, because your hand, or your mind, or your soul, will not fulfil all that you would have it.
1851, Arthur Helps, Companions of my solitude, page 201:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| overfretted | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| overfretted | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| overfretten | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | in-compounds, usually | lexicographic |
| overfrets | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| overfretting | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| overfrate | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| overfrate | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| overfret | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| overfret | Tense=Past | lexicographic |