fringe

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A decorative border or edging of hanging threads, cords, or strips, often attached to a separate band.
2. n. Something that resembles such a border or edging.
3. n. A marginal, peripheral, or secondary part: "They like to hang out on the geographical fringes, the seedy outposts” ( James Atlas).
4. n. Those members of a group or political party holding extreme views: the lunatic fringe.
5. n. Any of the light or dark bands produced by the diffraction or interference of light.
6. n. A fringe benefit.
7. v. To decorate with or as if with a fringe: The weaver fringed the edge of the scarf.
8. v. To serve as a fringe to: Ferns fringed the pool.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An ornamental bordering formed of short lengths of thread, whether loose or twisted, or of twisted cord more or less fine, variously arranged or combined, projecting from the edge of the material ornamented. Fringe may consist of the frayed or raveled edge of the piece of stuff ornamented, but it is generally of other material, often made very solid and ponderous, the cords being of tightly twisted silk or of gold or silver thread of considerable thickness and length.
2. n. Something resembling a fringe; a broken border; any border or edging: as, a fringe of trees around a field, or of shrubs around a garden; a fringe of troops along a line of defense.
3. n. Specifically In botany, a border of slender processes or teeth; a fimbria.
4. n. In optics, one of the alternate light and dark bands produced by diffraction. See diffraction.
5. n. In zoology, a row of closely set, even hairs on a margin; specifically, in entomology, the edging of fine even hairs on the wing of a butterfly or moth. In some of the lower moths, as the Tineidæ, the fringe of the secondary is frequently wider than the wing itself.
6. n. In photography, a thickened edge of inferior sensitiveness on the pouring-off margin of a sensitized plate.
7. To decorate with a fringe or fringes, whether by raveling the edge, as of cloth, or by sewing on; border.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Outside the mainstream.
2. n. A decorative border.
3. n. A marginal or peripheral part.
4. n. Those members of a political party, or any social group, holding unorthodox views.
5. n. The periphery of a town or city.
6. n. That part of the hair that hangs down above the eyes; bangs.
7. n. physics A light or dark band formed by the diffraction of light.
8. n. Non-mainstream theatre.
9. v. transitive To decorate with fringe.
10. v. transitive To serve as a fringe.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. An ornamental appendage to the border of a piece of stuff, originally consisting of the ends of the warp, projecting beyond the woven fabric; but more commonly made separate and sewed on, consisting sometimes of projecting ends, twisted or plaited together, and sometimes of loose threads of wool, silk, or linen, or narrow strips of leather, or the like.
2. n. Something resembling in any respect a fringe; a line of objects along a border or edge; a border; an edging; a margin; a confine.
3. n. (Opt.) One of a number of light or dark bands, produced by the interference of light; a diffraction band; -- called also interference fringe.
4. n. (Bot.) The peristome or fringelike appendage of the capsules of most mosses. See Peristome.
5. v. To adorn the edge of with a fringe or as with a fringe.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. one of the light or dark bands produced by the interference and diffraction of light
2. n. the outside boundary or surface of something
3. n. a social group holding marginal or extreme views
4. n. an ornamental border consisting of short lengths of hanging threads or tassels
5. n. a part of the city far removed from the center
6. v. decorate with or as if with a surrounding fringe
7. v. adorn with a fringe
8. n. a border of hair that is cut short and hangs across the forehead