fress

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...)

fress (third-person singular simple present fresses, present participle fressing, simple past and past participle fressed)

1. (obsolete) to eat without restraint; eat heartily

   Synonym: pig out

• serfs

• IPA^(key): /frɛsː/

  Rhymes: -ɛsː

fress n (genitive singular fress, nominative plural fress) or fress m (genitive singular fress, nominative plural fressar)

1. tomcat

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