fritter
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Noun (1)fritters
- small quantity of fried batter containing fruit or meat or vegetablesType of friedcakeKinds apple fritter, corn fritter
Verb (1)fritters, frittered, frittering
- spend frivolously and unwisely“Fritter away one's inheritance”Synonyms: frivol awaydissipateshootfritter awayfoolfool awayMore general consume, squanderInvolves consume, eat up
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OR. fritour, friture, pancake, F. friture frying, a thing fried, from frire to fry. See Far, transitive verb
1. A small quantity of batter, fried in boiling lard or in a frying pan. Fritters are of various kinds, named from the substance inclosed in the batter; as, apple fritters, clam fritters, oyster fritters.
2. A fragment; a shred; a small piece.
And cut whole giants into fritters.—
Corn fritter. See under Corn.
1. To cut, as meat, into small pieces, for frying.
2. To break into small pieces or fragments.
Break all nerves, and fritter all their sense.— Alexander Pope
To fritter away, to diminish; to pare off; to reduce to nothing by taking away a little at a time; also, to waste piecemeal; as, to fritter away time, strength, credit, etc.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54