fritter
UK[ˈfrɪtə(r)]US[ˈfrɪtər]
v
to waste time, money, or energy on something unimportant or in small amounts
n
a piece of fruit, vegetable, or meat that is covered in batter and fried
Etymology
the verb 'to fritter' emerged in the 18th century, derived from the earlier noun. the noun 'fritter', referring to a fried food, came into middle english as 'fryture' from old french 'friture', meaning 'something fried'. this old french term finds its source in latin 'frictus', the past participle of 'frigere', meaning 'to fry'. the semantic shift from a concrete fried item to the abstract sense of wasting resources is metaphorical, likening the dissipation of money or time to the breaking apart of food into small, insubstantial pieces before frying.
Analysis
the word is a simplex form. it entered english as a whole unit from old french, with its ultimate origin likely in latin.
Examples
don't fritter away your savings on unnecessary gadgets.
for a quick snack, she made apple fritters.
he tends to fritter his time browsing the internet instead of working.