Learn Spanish (Latin America): El material sintético está deshilachado deshilachado.

Repeating an adjective like deshilachado deshilachado is a colloquial way to express the absolute maximum degree of that trait. While muy deshilachado just means very frayed, repeating the word implies it is as frayed as it could possibly be—truly, completely, and irreparably frayed.

Do both copies of the repeated word need to match the noun in gender and number?

Yes! Because deshilachado acts as an adjective describing el material, both instances must agree with it in gender (masculine) and number (singular). If we were talking about synthetic fabrics (las telas sintéticas), the phrase would become están deshilachadas deshilachadas.

Why do we use está here rather than es?

We use está because deshilachado describes a current physical state or condition, not an inherent defining characteristic of the material. It is the result of a process (fraying over time), and states that are the result of an action always trigger the use of estar.

What is the root of the word deshilachado?