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fritter

 - 5 dictionary results

frit⋅ter

1  [frit-er]
Use fritter in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to squander or disperse piecemeal; waste little by little (usually fol. by away): to fritter away one's money; to fritter away an afternoon.
2. to break or tear into small pieces or shreds.
–verb (used without object)
3. to dwindle, shrink, degenerate, etc. (often fol. by away): to watch one's fortune fritter away.
4. to separate or break into fragments: a plastic material having a tendency to fritter.
–noun
5. a small piece, fragment, or shred.
Origin:
1720–30; earlier fitter, deriv. of fit (OE fitt) a part

Related forms:
frit⋅ter⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. dissipate, frivol away, idle away.

frit⋅ter

2  [frit-er]
–noun
a small cake of batter, sometimes containing corn, fruit, clams, or some other ingredient, fried in deep fat or sautéed.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME friture, frytour < OF friture < LL frīctūra a frying, equiv. to L frict(us), ptp. of frīgere to fry + -ūra -ure
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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frit·ter 1   (frĭt'ər)   
tr.v.   frit·tered, frit·ter·ing, frit·ters

  1. To reduce or squander little by little: frittered his inheritance away. See Synonyms at waste.

  2. To break, tear, or cut into bits; shred.


[Probably from fritter, fragment, probably alteration of fitters, from fitter, to break into small pieces.]
frit·ter 2   (frĭt'ər)   
n.  A small cake made of batter, often containing fruit, vegetables, or fish, sautéed or deep-fried.

[Middle English friture, from Old French, from Late Latin frīctūra, from Latin frīctus, past participle of frīgere, to roast, fry.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

fritter

any of three types of fried foods. Plain fritters are deep-fried cakes of chou paste or a yeast dough. In a second type bits of meat, seafood, vegetables, or fruit are coated with a batter and deep fried. Small cakes of chopped food in batter, such as corn fritters in the southern United States, are also called fritters.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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