fritter Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun small quantity of fried batter containing fruit or meat or vegetables
  2. verb spend frivolously and unwisely
    shoot; fool; fool away; fritter away; dissipate; frivol away.
    • Fritter away one's inheritance

WordNet

Frit"ter noun
Etymology
OR. fritour, friture, pancake, F. friture frying, a thing fried, from frire to fry. See Far, v. t.
Definitions
  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. Hudibras.
Frit"ter transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Frittered ; present participle & verbal noun Frittering
Definitions
  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. Pope.

Webster 1913