fress en · VERB
Pronunciation
- /fɹɛs/
Etymology
From German fressen (“to eat, devour, gobble”) and/or Yiddish פֿרעסן (fresn), both from Middle High German vrëȥȥen, from Old High German frëȥȥan (“to eat up”), from Proto-West Germanic *fraetan, from Proto-Germanic *fraetaną (“to eat up”), from *fra- (intensive and perfective prefix) + *etaną (“to eat”), equivalent to for- + eat. Cognate with Old English fretan (“to devour”). Doublet of fret.
Meanings
- (dialectal, obsolete, qualifier:Nova Scotia) to eat without restraint; eat heartily
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| fresses | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| fressing | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| fressed | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| fressed | Tense=Past | lexicographic |