Frayed means coming apart in loose threads at the edge. A frayed cuff, frayed rope, frayed at the edges.
It happens where a cut edge is not finished, which is why hems and hot-cut rope ends exist. Frayed nerves and frayed tempers are the figurative use, and frayed at the edges describes a person barely holding together. Note that the word comes from the Old French for rubbing, the same root as friction.
1adjectivefrayedComing apart in loose threads at the edge.
“His old jeans were frayed at the hems.”
2adjectivestrainedStrained, of nerves or tempers.
“After hours stuck in traffic, everyone's tempers were frayed.”
frayed is a quality of wear.
Old French froiier means to rub, from Latin fricare. Friction and fricative come from the same rubbing.
Latin
fricare — to rub, rub down
Old French
froiier — to rub against, scrape; thrust against
English, today
frayed
From fray + -ed, from Old French froiier (“to rub against, scrape; thrust against”), from Latin fricare (“to rub, rub down”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA