"R" Word Origins

refresh

Old French

From Old French refrescher, "to make fresh again," built from re- plus fresh.

refresher

Origin

Formed from refresh plus the agent suffix -er.

refreshing

Origin

By surface analysis, refresh + -ing.

refreshment

Old French · 1600

Recorded in English since the 1600s, from Old French refrescher, "to refresh," ultimately from re- plus fresche ("fresh").

refret

Origin

From re- + fret.

refrigeration

Latin

From Latin refrigerare, "to make cold again."

refrigerator

Medieval Latin

Borrowed from Medieval Latin refrigerator, "a cooler."

refuel

Origin

From re- ("again") plus fuel.

refuge

Latin

From Old French refuge, from Latin refugium, built from re- ("back") plus fugere ("to flee") — literally "a place to flee back to."

refugee

French · 1680

From French réfugié, "one who has taken refuge," originally describing French Protestants fleeing religious persecution in the 1680s; the modern broader sense of civilians fleeing war dates to World War I.

refulgence

Origin

From Latin refulgentia. By surface analysis, re- + Latin fulg(ere) + -ence.

refulgency

Origin

By surface analysis, re- + Latin fulg(ere) + -ency.

refulgent

Origin

From Latin refulgentem, accusative singular of refulgēns, present active participle of refulgeō, from re- (“back”) + fulgeō (“shine”). By surface analysis, re- + Latin fulg(ere) + -ent.

refund

Latin

From Old French refunder, "to pay back," ultimately from Latin re- ("back") plus fundere ("to pour").

refurbish

Origin

1605, from re- + furbish, from Middle English furbishen, from Middle French forbir (stem furbiss-, “to clean, polish”), from Frankish *furbēn (“to clean, polish”).

refusal

Middle English

From Middle English refusell, formed from refuse plus -al.

refuse

Middle French

Borrowed into Middle English from Middle French refuser, "to refuse."

refutable

Origin

From Late Latin refūtābilis (“refutable”), equivalent to refute + -able.

refutation

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French refutation (compare French réfutation, Spanish refutación, Portuguese refutação, Italian refutazione) or its etymon Latin refūtātiō, from refūtō + -ātiō. By surface analysis, refute + -ation. First attested in 1536 (in sense 1).

refute

Latin

From Latin refutare, "to drive back, repudiate."

reg

Origin

Derived from regolith.

regain

Middle French

From Middle French regaigner, formed from re- plus gain.

regal

Latin

From Old French regal, from Latin regalis, "royal, kingly," from rex, "king." It shares this Latin root with royal and real (the currency unit).

regalia

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin regalia, "royal powers," from Latin regalis, "of a king."

regard

Anglo-Norman

From Anglo-Norman reguard, related to reguarder, "to look at, watch." It shares roots with guard and ward.

regarded

Origin

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

regarding

Origin

By surface analysis, regard + -ing.

regardless

Origin

Formed from regard plus the suffix -less, meaning "without regard."

regatta

Italian

From Venetian Italian regatta, "a contest for mastery," related to a word meaning to compete or race.

regency

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin regentia, ultimately from Latin regens, "ruling," formed from regent plus -cy.

regenerate

Latin

From Latin regeneratus, "born again," from re- plus generare, "to produce, beget."

regenerated

Origin

From regenerate + -ed.

regeneration

Latin

From Latin regeneratio, built from re- plus generatio, "generation, creation."

regenerative

Middle French

From Middle French régénératif.

regent

Latin

From Latin regens, "ruling, governing," the present participle of regere, "to rule."

regental

Origin

From regent + -al.

regex

English

A shortening of regular expression.

reggae

Origin · 1968

From Jamaican Creole rege, meaning "rags" or "a quarrel"; the musical sense was popularized by the 1968 Maytals song "Do the Reggay."

Reggie

Origin

Formed from Reg plus the informal suffix -ie.

regime

Latin

From Middle French regime, from Latin regimen, "direction, government." It is a doublet of regimen.

regimen

Latin

From Latin regimen, "guidance, direction, rule." It is a doublet of regime.

regiment

Late Latin

From Late Latin regimentum, "direction for government," from Latin regere, "to rule."

regimental

Origin

Formed from regiment plus the adjective suffix -al.

Regina

Latin

Borrowed from Latin rēgīna ("queen"); the Canadian city was named for Queen Victoria.

Reginald

Latin

From Latin Reginaldus, a Latinization of names deriving from Proto-Germanic *Raginawaldaz.

region

Latin

From Latin regio "direction, boundary, district", from regere "to rule, direct".

regional

Latin

From Middle French régional, from Latin regiōnālis, itself from regiō ("region, district").

register

Late Latin

From Medieval Latin registrum, from Late Latin regesta ("things recorded"), ultimately from Latin regerere, "to carry back, record."