Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Fritter

Fritter , noun

[OR. fritour, friture, pancake, French 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. — Hudibras
Collocations (1)
Corn fritter , See under Corn.

Fritter , transitive verb

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
Collocations (1)
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.