I. ˈfrī verb
( fried ; fried ; frying ; fries )
Etymology: Middle English frien, from Old French frire, from Latin frigere to roast, fry; akin to Greek phrygein to roast, fry, Sanskrit bhṛjjati he roasts
transitive verb
: to cook in a pan or on a griddle by heating over a fire especially with the use of fat : cook in hot fat
fry fish
— compare broil
intransitive verb
1. : to undergo the process of frying : become subject to the action of heat in a frying pan or on a griddle
2. slang : to suffer execution in the electric chair
if I burn, you'll fry along with me — Barton Black
II. noun
( -es )
1.
a.
(1) : a dish of something fried
a mixed fry of … tiny crayfish and squid — P.E.Deutschman
(2) : french fry
b. : a social gathering or picnic at which food is fried and eaten
a fish fry
a steak fry
organized a fry
c. or fry meat chiefly Midland
(1) : a portion of fried meat
(2) : meat suitable for frying
2. : an internal part or organ of an animal (as pig's liver, calf's pluck) that is usually eaten fried — usually used in plural
3. : a state of excitement
he was in an awful fry
III. noun
( plural fry )
Etymology: Middle English frie, fry, probably from Old North French fri, from Old French froyer, frayer, frier to rub, spawn — more at fray
1.
a. : young or recently hatched fishes — compare fingerling
b. : the young or brood of other animals (as oysters or birds)
c. obsolete : human offspring
2. : very small adult fishes ; especially : those (as various anchovies) that swim in schools
3. : members of a group or class : persons, individuals — often used disparagingly
a great part of the earth is peopled with these fry — Katherine Mansfield
or with a qualifier indicating smallness, youth, or insignificance
the lesser fry of the expedition march side by side with natives — Gordon Nares
small fry such as voles and field mice — Douglas Carruthers
sturdy school shoe for the young fry — Footwear News
so beautifully illustrated that you and the young fry will read it like a book — Parents' Magazine
IV. intransitive verb
: to get very hot or burn as if by being fried
sunbathers frying on the beach
transitive verb
1. : to damage or destroy (as one's brain) by overuse or abuse especially of drugs
2. : to damage (an electronic device or its circuitry) usually beyond repair by overheating especially as a result of unusually high voltage