fress
English
Etymology
From Yiddish פֿרעסן (fresn) or German fressen (“to devour, gobble”), from Middle High German vrezzen, from Old High German frezzan (“to devour, eat up”), 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.
In German, fressen (eat) and saufen (drink) are used about non-humans, whereas the corresponding words used about human behavior are essen and trinken. "Es trinkt der Mann, es säuft das Pferd / bei manchem ist es umgekehrt" ("the man drinks, the horse gulps it down / [but] with many it's the other way 'round") is a common humorous couplet in German with many variations (e.g., ...in Bayern ist es...)
Verb
fress (third-person singular simple present fresses, present participle fressing, simple past and past participle fressed)
- (obsolete) to eat without restraint; eat heartily
- Synonym: pig out
Anagrams
- serfs
Icelandic
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /frɛsː/
- Rhymes: -ɛsː
Noun
fress n (genitive singular fress, nominative plural fress) or fress m (genitive singular fress, nominative plural fressar)
- tomcat
Declension
n-s | singular | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | fress | fressið | fress | fressin |
accusative | fress | fressið | fress | fressin |
dative | fressi | fressinu | fressum | fressunum |
genitive | fress | fressins | fressa | fressanna |
or
m-s1 | singular | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | fress | fressinn | fressar | fressarnir |
accusative | fress | fressinn | fressa | fressana |
dative | fress | fressinum | fressum | fressunum |
genitive | fress | fressins | fressa | fressanna |