fry

Etymology 1

table From Middle English fryen, borrowed from Old French frire, from Latin frīgō (“to roast, fry”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-. Cognate with Ancient Greek φρύγω (phrúgō, “I roast, bake”), Sanskrit भृज्जति (bhṛjjati, “to roast, grill, fry”), भृग् (bhṛg, “the crackling of fire”). Replaced native Middle English hirsten, from Old English hierstan (“to fry”).

verb

1. A method of cooking food.
   1. (transitive) To cook">cook (something) in hot fat.
      I am frying the eggs.
   2. (intransitive) To cook">cook in hot fat.
      The eggs are frying.
   3. (obsolete) to simmer; to boil
2. To be affected by extreme heat or current.
   1. (intransitive, colloquial) To suffer because of too much heat.
      You'll fry if you go out in this sun with no sunblock on.
   2. (chiefly US, transitive, intransitive, slang) To execute, or be executed, by the electric chair.
      He's guilty of murder: he's going to fry.
   3. (transitive, informal) To destroy (something, usually electronic) with excessive heat, voltage, or current.
      If you apply that much voltage, you'll fry the resistor.

noun

1. (usually in the plural, fries, chiefly Canada and US, cooking) A fried piece of cut potato.
2. (Ireland, Britain, cooking) A meal of fried sausages, bacon, eggs, etc.
3. (Australia, New Zealand, cooking) The liver of a lamb.
4. (usually in the plural, fries, US, cooking) A lamb or calf testicle.
5. (colloquial, archaic) A state of excitement.
   to be in a fry

Etymology 2

table From Middle English frie (“small fry, offspring”), of two possible origins: * Traditionally derived from Old Norse frjó (“seed, semen”), from Proto-Germanic *fraiwą (“seed, semen, offspring”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per-, *(s)prei- (“to strew, sow”). Cognate with Icelandic frjó (“pollen, seed”), Icelandic fræ (“seed”), Swedish frö (“seed, embryo, grain, germ”), Danish and Norwegian frø (“seed”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍅 (fraiw, “seed”). * More likely from Old French *frie, *fri, collateral form of froi (“spawn”), from froier, freier (“to spawn”), from Latin fricō (“to rub”).

noun

1. Young fish; fishlings.
   it is not possible for man to sever the wheat from the tares, the good fish from the other frie; that must be the Angels Ministery at the end of mortall things. 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica
2. (now chiefly UK dialectal) Offspring; progeny; children; brood.
3. (archaic) A swarm, especially of something small.
   a fry of children
4. (UK dialectal) The spawn of frogs.

Etymology 3

Dialectal, of obscure origin.

noun

1. A kind of sieve.
2. A drain.