frenching

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of french.

   The chef spent the morning frenching racks of lamb for the dinner service.

   Frenching the vegetables gives the dish a more refined presentation.

   Note

   One spelling does two jobs: it is the progressive verb (the chef is frenching the lamb) and the noun for the action (frenching takes patience). Behind it sit two kitchen meanings, cutting food into strips and trimming meat back from a bone, plus a kissing sense. The kissing sense works with an object (frenching someone) or without (two people frenching). Only context tells these meanings apart, and the capitalized spelling French is also used.

2. 2
   noununcountable

   A disease affecting the leaves of the cotton plant, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum.

   Frenching appeared on the lower leaves before the plants reached full height.

   The agronomist diagnosed frenching after examining the discolored foliage.

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