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Fray vs Argument - What's the difference?

fray | argument |

As nouns the difference between fray and argument

is that fray is affray; broil; contest; combat; brawl; melee while argument is proof, reason, point.

As a verb fray

is to unravel; used particularly for the edge of something made of cloth, or the end of a rope.

fray

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) frai, aphetic variant of affray.

Noun

(en noun)
  • Affray; broil; contest; combat; brawl; melee.
  • Though they did not know the reason for the dispute, they did not hesitate to leap into the fray .
  • * Shakespeare
  • Who began this bloody fray ?
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2010 , date=December 29 , author=Mark Vesty , title=Wigan 2 - 2 Arsenal , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Wigan, unbeaten in five games at the DW Stadium, looked well in control but the catalyst for Arsenal's improvement finally came when Diaby left the field with a calf injury and Jack Wilshere came into the fray , bringing some much needed determination and urgency to lacklustre Arsenal. }}
  • (archaic) fright
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) fraien, from (etyl) frayer, from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To unravel; used particularly for the edge of something made of cloth, or the end of a rope.
  • The ribbon frayed at the cut end.
  • (figuratively) To cause exhaustion, wear out (a person's mental strength).
  • The stressful day ended in frayed nerves. (Metaphorical use; nerves are visualised as strings)
  • (archaic) frighten; alarm
  • * 1662 , , Book II, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 63:
  • "Besides, all the wit and Philosophy in the world can never demonstrate, that the killing and slaughtering of a Beast is anymore then the striking of a Bush where a Bird's Nest is, where you fray away the Bird, and then seize upon the empty Nest."
  • * Spenser
  • What frays ye, that were wont to comfort me affrayed?
  • To bear the expense of; to defray.
  • * Massinger
  • The charge of my most curious and costly ingredients frayed , I shall acknowledge myself amply satisfied.
  • To rub.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
  • We can show the marks he made / When 'gainst the oak his antlers frayed .

    argument

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
  • * Ray
  • There is no more palpable and convincing argument of the existence of a Deity.
  • A verbal dispute; a quarrel.
  • A process of reasoning.
  • * John Locke
  • The argument is not about things, but names.
  • (philosophy, logic) A series of propositions organized so that the final proposition is a conclusion which is intended to follow logically from the preceding propositions, which function as premises.
  • *
  • (mathematics) The independent variable of a function.
  • (programming) A value, or reference to a value, passed to a function.
  • * {{quote-web, date = 2011-07-20
  • , author = Edwin Mares , title = Propositional Functions , site = The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , url = http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2011/entries/propositional-function , accessdate = 2012-07-15 }}
    In ‘The Critic of Arguments’ (1892), Peirce adopts a notion that is even closer to that of a propositional function. There he develops the concept of the ‘rhema’. He says the rhema is like a relative term, but it is not a term. It contains a copula, that is, when joined to the correct number of arguments it produces an assertion. For example, ‘__ is bought by __ from __ for __’ is a four-place rhema. Applying it to four objects a'', ''b'', ''c'', and ''d'' produces the assertion that ''a'' is bought by ''b'' from ''c'' for ''d (ibid. 420).
    Parameters are like labeled fillable blanks used to define a function whereas arguments are passed to a function when calling it, filling in those blanks.
  • (programming) A parameter in a function definition; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.
  • (linguistics) Any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.
  • *
  • In numerous works over the past two decades, beginning with the pioneering work of Gruber (1965), Fillmore (1968a), and Jackendoff (1972), it has been argued that each Argument' (i.e. Subject or Complement) of a Predicate bears a particular ''thematic role'' (alias ''theta-role'', or ''θ-role'' to its Predicate), and that the set of ''thematic functions'' which ' Arguments can fulfil are drawn from a highly restricted, finite, universal set.
  • (astronomy) The quantity on which another quantity in a table depends.
  • The altitude is the argument of the refraction.
  • The subject matter of a discourse, writing, or artistic representation; theme or topic; also, an abstract or summary, as of the contents of a book, chapter, poem.
  • * Shakespeare
  • You and love are still my argument .
  • * Jeffrey
  • the abstract or argument of the piece
  • * Milton
  • [shields] with boastful argument portrayed
  • Matter for question; business in hand.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Sheathed their swords for lack of argument .

    Usage notes

    * (formal parameter in a function definition) Some authors regard use of "argument" to mean "formal parameter" to be imprecise, preferring that argument'' refers only to the value that is used to instantiate the ''parameter'' at runtime, while ''parameter refers only to the name in the function definition that will be instantiated.

    Synonyms

    * (programming value) actual argument * See also * See also

    Meronyms

    * (logic) proposition, premise, conclusion

    Derived terms

    * ad hominem argument * argumentable * argumental * argumentation * argumentative * argumentatively * argumentativeness * argument form * argument from design * argumentive * argumentize * argumentless * cosmological argument * etymological argument * ontological argument * teleological argument