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See also: Fry



Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English frien, borrowed from Old French frire, from Latin frīgō, frīgere (to roast, fry), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-. Cognate with Ancient Greek φρύγω (phrúgō, I roast, bake), Sanskrit भृज्ज् (bhṛjjati, to roast, grill, fry), भृग् (bhṛg, the crackling of fire)


Eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms being fried in a frying pan

fry (third-person singular simple present fries, present participle frying, simple past and past participle fried)

  1. (transitive) To cook (something) in hot fat.
  2. (intransitive) To cook in hot fat.
  3. (intransitive, colloquial) To suffer because of too much heat.
    You'll fry if you go out in this sun with no sunblock on.
  4. (intransitive, informal) To be executed by the electric chair.
    He's guilty of murder — he's going to fry.
  5. (transitive, informal) To destroy (something, usually electronic) with excessive heat, voltage, or current.
    If you apply that much voltage, you'll fry the resistor.
Derived terms[edit]


fry (plural fries)

  1. (usually in the plural, fries, chiefly Canada and US) A fried strip of potato.
    Synonyms: chip, fried potato, french fry, freedom fry
  2. (Ireland, Britain) A meal of fried sausages, bacon, eggs, etc.
    Synonyms: fry-up
  3. (colloquial, archaic) A state of excitement.
    to be in a fry
Related terms[edit]

(See the entry for fry in

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English fry (seed, offspring), 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).


fry (uncountable)

  1. (now chiefly Britain dialectal) Offspring; progeny; children; brood.
  2. Young fish; fishlings.
    • 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica:
      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.
  3. (archaic) A swarm, especially of something small.
    a fry of children
  4. (Britain dialectal) The spawn of frogs.
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Dialectal, of obscure origin.


fry (plural fries)

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