fritter
UK: ˈfrɪtə | US: ˈfrɪtər
vt. to waste or squander (money, time, or resources) gradually or frivolously
n. a small piece of food, typically fried batter containing fruit, meat, or vegetables
fritter = frit<fragment> + er<noun suffix>
- frit<fragment>: Derived from Old French friture (fried food) and Latin frictus (fried), later associated with "fragment" due to the small, broken pieces of fried food.
- er<noun suffix>: A common English suffix used to form nouns indicating objects or agents.
Etymology Origin:
The word "fritter" originated in the 14th century from Old French friture, meaning "fried food," tracing back to Latin frictus (past participle of frigere, "to fry"). Over time, its meaning expanded metaphorically to "waste" (as in breaking resources into small, useless pieces), while retaining its literal sense for small fried foods like apple fritters. The dual meanings reflect the word's journey from culinary roots to figurative use.
She tends to fritter away her salary on unnecessary purchases.
The chef prepared crispy banana fritters for dessert.
Don’t fritter your time on trivial tasks; focus on priorities.
The street vendor sold hot corn fritters to passersby.
He regretted frittering his inheritance on short-lived luxuries.