fritter
fritter Lexical Profile
fritter Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small piece of fruit, vegetable, meat, or dough that is coated in batter and deep-fried.
"She stopped at the local bakery to buy a freshly baked apple fritter."
• verb
To squander or waste little by little (especially time, money, or energy).
"He tended to fritter away his afternoons browsing the internet instead of working on his thesis."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a verb, 'fritter' is almost exclusively followed by the particle 'away' (e.g., to fritter away time or money).
• Rhymes for fritter
Word Origin & Etymology
The noun originates from Middle English 'fritour', from Old French 'friture' (a frying), descending from Late Latin 'frictura' and the Latin verb 'frigere' (to fry). The verb form arose in the 18th century, likely from an earlier noun 'fitter' meaning a fragment, signifying breaking something into small pieces.