Breaking or breaking up; characterized by a breaking or fragmentary quality.
From Latin 'fringere' meaning 'to break or shatter,' combined with the present participle suffix '-ent.' The term evolved to describe things that have a quality of breaking or being broken into fragments.
This rare word connects to the root of 'fringe' itself—both come from Latin 'fringere,' so when something is fringent, it's literally about the breaking or shattering action that creates those frayed edges we see on fringes.
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