English Explanatory Dictionary

fritter

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A dish made by deep-frying food coated in batter.
  2. A fragment; a shred; a small piece.
verb
  1. To squander or waste time, money, or other resources; e.g. occupy oneself idly or without clear purpose, to tinker with an unimportant part of a project, to dally, sometimes as a form of procrastination.
  2. To sinter.
  3. To cut (meat etc.) into small pieces for frying.
  4. To break into small pieces or fragments.

Pronunciation

/ˈfɹɪtə(ɹ)/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-fritter.wav frĭtʹər /ˈfɹɪtɚ/ [ˈfɹɪɾɚ] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-fritter.wav

Word forms

fritter fritters frittering frittered

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English fryture, from Middle French friture, from Old French friture, from Vulgar Latin *frīctūra, from Latin frīgō (“to fry”); compare fry. For the development of Middle English /iu̯r(ə)/ into /ə(ɹ)/, compare armour, batter, border, solder.

Related words

tempura

Derived words

apple fritter corn fritter French fritter fritter batter fritterlike fritterware oyster fritter rice fritter spam fritter fritter away frittered fritterer frittering

Translations

Finnish: suikaloida German: kleinschneiden German: zerteilen German: würfeln German: zerkleinern Russian: нарезать
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