frazzle

Definitions


[ˈfrazl], (Verb)

Definitions:
- cause to show the effects of exhaustion or strain
(e.g: Richard was frequently frazzled by the conflicting demands of work and home)

- damage or cause to shrivel by burning or exposure to heat
(e.g: families whose homes overlook a field that was frazzled by the fire feared that the flames would reach their houses)


Phrases:

Origin:
early 19th century: perhaps a blend of fray and obsolete fazle ‘ravel out’, of Germanic origin. The word was originally East Anglian dialect, with the meaning ‘tear or unravel’; it came into standard British English via the US


[ˈfrazl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the state of being completely exhausted
(e.g: I'm tired, worn to a frazzle)

- the state of being completely burned
(e.g: the grass was regrowing within days of being burned to a frazzle)


Phrases:

Origin:
early 19th century: perhaps a blend of fray and obsolete fazle ‘ravel out’, of Germanic origin. The word was originally East Anglian dialect, with the meaning ‘tear or unravel’; it came into standard British English via the US




definition by Oxford Dictionaries