Etymograph

English

small fry

From small + fry, first use appears c.

A compound of small + fry

Proto-Germanic *smalaz

Proto-West Germanic *smal

Old English smæl ‘narrow’

Middle English smal ‘small’

English small

Latin frīgō ‘to roast, fry’

Old French frire

Middle English fryen ‘to fry’

English fry

Today it means

noun One or more small or immature fish.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “small fry”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / small fry