fressen

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈfɾɛ.sən]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈfɾə.sən]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [ˈfɾe.sen]

fressen

1. third-person plural present indicative of fressar

From Middle High German frezzen, from Old High German frezzan, firezzan, from Proto-West Germanic *fraetan. Cognate with Dutch vreten, English fret, Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (fraitan), Swedish fräta.

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʁɛsn̩/

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fressen (class 5 strong, third-person singular present frisst, past tense fraß, past participle gefressen, past subjunctive fräße, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive or intransitive, of an animal) to eat; to feed on; to devour
2. (transitive or intransitive, of a person, derogatory) to stuff oneself; to gorge oneself; to eat like a pig

   Erst kommt das Fressen, dann kommt die Moral.

   First comes the stomach, then comes ethics.

3. (figurative, chiefly reflexive) to eat away (e.g. metal) [+ durch (object)]
4. (figurative, transitive) to consume, to guzzle, to burn (e.g. fuel, money)
5. (transitive, colloquial, perfect only) to despise, to have a pet peeve against

   Den hab ich ja gefressen! ― I can’t stand that guy! (literally, “I have eaten that one.”)

• essen

• → English: fress (or from Yiddish)
• → Polish: frasować

• “fressen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “fressen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “fressen” in Duden online
• “fressen” in OpenThesaurus.de
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “fressen”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891