fritter

views updated May 29 2018

frit·ter1 / ˈfritər/ • v. [tr.] 1. (fritter something away) waste time, money, or energy on trifling matters: I wish we hadn't frittered the money away so easily. ∎  [intr.] dwindle; diminish: the day fritters.2. archaic divide (something) into small pieces: they become frittered into minute tatters.DERIVATIVES: frit·ter·er n.frit·ter2 • n. a piece of fruit, vegetable, or meat that is coated in batter and deep-fried.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

fritter

views updated Jun 08 2018

fritter2 †break into fragments; do away with piecemeal, waste in trifling. XVIII. f. fritters fragments (XVII), expressive alt. of (dial.) fitters (XVI), f. †fitter break into small fragments; see -ER4.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

fritter

views updated May 23 2018

fritter1 portion of batter fried in oil, etc. XIV. — (O)F. friture :- Rom. *frīctūra, f. frict-, pp. stem of L. frīgere FRY2; see -URE.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

fritter

views updated May 18 2018

fritter A portion of sweet or savoury food, coated in batter and fried.

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition DAVID A. BENDER

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