To waste time or money on unimportant things, or to break something into small pieces.
From Old French 'frire' (to fry) and Latin 'frigere' (to fry), which originally described the cooking method of frying food in small pieces. The meaning extended to wasting something piece by piece.
The noun 'fritter' (a fried pastry) and the verb 'fritter away' come from the same root, but the verb's meaning shifted from the physical act of breaking food into pieces to the metaphorical idea of breaking down resources through waste!
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