fringe

noun

• 1an ornamental border of threads left loose or formed into tassels or twists, used to edge clothing or material: a long grey skirt with a fringe the fringes of a prayer shawl

• 2chiefly British the front part of someone’s hair, cut so as to hang over the forehead: she smiled as she pushed her fringe back out of her eyes
• a natural border of hair or fibres in an animal or plant: a long fringe of hair on the tail

• 3 (often the fringes) the outer, marginal, or extreme part of an area, group, or sphere of activity:his uncles were on the fringes of crooked activity
• (the Fringe) a secondary festival on the periphery of the Edinburgh Festival: she became noted for her work on the Fringe

• 4a band of contrasting brightness or darkness produced by diffraction or interference of light.
• a strip of false colour in an optical image.

• 5North Americanshort for fringe benefit.we offer the highest salary and fringes in the country

verb (fringes, fringing, fringed)

• decorate (clothing or material) with a fringe:a rich robe of gold, fringed with black velvet
• form a border around (something):the sea is fringed by palm trees
• (as adjective fringed) (of a plant or animal) having a border of hair or fibre: the fringed green leaves