friction

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: fric=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

friction, n. [L. frictio, fr. fricare, frictum,to rub: cf. F. friction. See Fray to rub, arid cf. Dentifrice.].

•  The act of rubbing the surface of one body against that of another; attrition; in hygiene, the act of rubbing the body with the hand, with flannel, or with a brush etc., to excite the skin to healthy action.  [1913 Webster]
•  The resistance which a body meets with from the surface on which it moves. It may be resistance to sliding motion, or to rolling motion.  [1913 Webster]
•  A clashing between two persons or parties in opinions or work; a disagreement tending to prevent or retard progress.  [1913 Webster]

  "This angle varies for different bodies, and for planes of different materials."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

friction, n.
1 the action of one object rubbing against another.
2 the resistance an object encounters in moving over another.
3 a clash of wills, temperaments, or opinions; mutual animosity arising from disagreement.
4 (in comb.) of devices that transmit motion by frictional contact (friction-clutch; friction-disc).

Idiom

friction-ball a ball used in bearings to lessen friction.

Derivative

frictional adj. frictionless adj.

Etymology

F f. L frictio -onis f. fricare frict- rub

THESAURUS

friction

Discordia, Eris, abrading, abrasion, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, argument, attrition, backlash, bad blood, belligerence, bickering, caressing, chafing, clash, clashing, collision, competition, conflict, confutation, contention, contradiction, contraposition, contrariety, contrariness, controversy, counteraction, counterposition, counterworking, crankiness, cross-purposes, crotchetiness, despitefulness, disaccord, disaffinity, disagreement, discord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, dispute, dissension, dissent, enmity, erosion, feeling, fingering, fractiousness, fretting, fricative, frictional, frottage, grating, handling, hate, hatred, hostility, ill feeling, ill will, incompatibility, incompatibleness, inharmoniousness, inharmony, inimicalness, interference, jangle, jar, kick, malevolence, malice, malignity, manipulation, mischief, negativeness, nonconformity, noncooperation, obstinacy, open conflict, opposition, opposure, oppugnance, oppugnancy, palpation, perverseness, petting, pressure, quarrelsomeness, reaction, recalcitrance, recoil, refractoriness, renitency, repercussion, repugnance, resistance, revolt, rivalry, rub, rubbing, scraping, spite, spitefulness, strained relations, strife, stroking, swimming upstream, tension, touching, uncooperativeness, unharmoniousness, unpleasantness, vying, wrangling

ROGET THESAURUS

friction

Counteraction

N counteraction, opposition, contrariety, antagonism, polarity, clashing, collision, interference, inhibition, resistance, renitency, friction, reaction, retroaction, counterblast, neutralization, vis inertiae, check, voluntary opposition &c, voluntary resistance, repression, opposites, action and reaction, yang and yin, yang-yin (contrariety), counteracting, antagonistic, conflicting, retroactive, renitent, reactionary, contrary, although, in spite of, against, for every action there is a reaction, equal in force and opposite in direction.

Friction

N friction, attrition, rubbing, abrasion, scraping, confrication, detrition, contrition, affriction, abrasion, arrosion, limature, frication, rub, elbow grease, rosin, massage, roughness, rolling friction, sliding friction, starting friction, anatriptic, attrite.