Frizzling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To produce a sizzling or crackling sound, often relating to the cooking of food in a hot pan
2. to become slightly burnt or charred while cooking, creating a distinct aroma
3. to emit a series of short, sharp noises, similar to crackling or popping, during cooking or heating

Etymology: "Frizzling" is the present participle of "frizzle," which is built from "frizz" plus the frequentative suffix "-le," a pattern that gives verbs a sense of repeated or continuing action, as in "crackle" or "sprinkle." "Frizz" itself names tightly curled hair, and the connection to cooking is a short step: food that sizzles and curls at the edges in hot fat looks and sounds like kinked hair being tightened. The older roots reach into Frisian. West Frisian "frisselje" meant "to plait, braid," and Old Frisian had "frisle" and "fresle" for a lock of hair. The Dutch-speaking coasts of the North Sea share this family of words, so the English kitchen term carries a trace of hair-curling from across the water. Apart from the cooking sense, the word has long described hair set in tight curls, so the kitchen use grew out of an existing picture of crimped, crinkled texture rather than starting from scratch.

Synonyms: frying, sizzling