English
fritter
Fritter comes from Vulgar Latin *frīctūra ‘frying, the act of frying’, and goes back to Latin frīgō ‘to fry’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrīgō‘to fry’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*frīctūra‘frying, the act of frying’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400friture
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fryture
- Englishearliest quotation 1662fritter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrīgō‘to fry’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*frīctūra‘frying, the act of frying’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400friture
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fryture
- Englishearliest quotation 1662fritter
Earliest quotation: 1662, [The First Part of Hudibras]: “And cut whole giants into fritters.”
The story
For the development of Middle English /iu̯r(ə)/ into /ə(ɹ)/, compare armour, batter, border, solder.
Linked words
through Latin frīgō ‘to fry’
Today it means
noun Synonym of pancake, a portion of batter fried on a pan.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin frīgō / fritter