refrain etymology

Etymology:

  • Old French: refraindre
  • Medieval Latin: refrangere
  • Latin: re- ("back") + frangere ("to break")

Meaning:

  • A line or group of lines repeated regularly in a song, poem, or other musical or literary work, especially at the end of each stanza.
  • A chorus or group of singers or musicians who perform a recurring section of a musical piece.

Origin:

The word "refrain" originated in the Latin phrase "re-frangere," which means "to break back." In the context of music, it refers to the way a melody or text is broken up into smaller phrases that are repeated throughout a composition.

Over time, the term "refrain" came to be associated specifically with the repeated section at the end of a poetic stanza or the chorus of a song. In the 16th century, it also began to be used to refer to a group of singers or musicians who performed the recurring section of a musical piece.

refrain relate terms

  • refraction

    Etymology The word refraction originates from the Latin word refringere which mean

  • redact

    Etymology Late Latin redactus past participle of redigere to bring back restore re

  • redeem

    Etymology The word redeem comes from the Latin word redimere which means to buy bac

  • redolent

    Etymology Latin redolēns fragrant Present participle of the verb redolēre to g

  • redundant

    Etymology Redundant comes from the Latin word redundare which means to overflow or

  • redintegrate

    Etymology Latin redintegrare Prefix re again anew Root integrare to make

  • render

    Etymology Old French rendre Late Latin reddere Proto Indo European red Meaning

  • rally

    Etymology The word rally comes from the Old French word rallier which means to gath

  • receive

    Etymology The word receive comes from the Middle English word receiven which itself

  • recommend

    Recommend Etymology From the Old French recommander to commend recommend itself f

  • reduce

    Etymology Latin reducere from re back ducere to lead Middle French reduir

  • recreate

    Etymology Etymology is derived from the Greek words etymon ἔτυμον true sen

  • refer

    Etymology is the study of the origin of words and the way their form and meaning have chan

  • religion

    Etymology The word religion is derived from the Latin word religio which means rev

  • remain

    Etymology The word remain is derived from the Old French word remeindre modern Frenc

  • request

    Etymology The word request comes from the Middle English word requeste which in tu

  • require

    Etymology is the study of the origin of words and the ways in which their meanings have ch

  • recovery

    Etymology of Recovery The word recovery originates from the Old French term recover

  • rebel

    Etymology The word rebel derives from the Latin verb rebellāre meaning to rise ag

  • relic

    Etymology Middle English relike Old French relique Latin reliquia a thing left beh

  • remnant

    Etymology The word remnant is derived from the late Middle English word remenant wh

  • restive

    Etymology The word restive comes from the Latin word restare meaning to stand still

  • rest

    Etymology The word rest originates from the Old English word restan which means to

  • rally

    Etymology The word rally comes from the Old French word rallier which means to gath

  • ransom

    Etymology Middle English raunson from Anglo Norman French raençon from Late Latin r

  • redemption

    Etymology Redemption derives from the Latin word redemptio which means a buying back

  • rampart

    Etymology and Meaning The word rampart comes from the Middle English term rampart w

  • rebuild

    Etymology The word rebuild is derived from the Old English words re meaning again

  • refill

    Etymology The word refill is derived from the French word refiller meaning to fill

  • reset

    Etymology The word reset has its roots in the Middle English word resetten which mea

  • rewrite

    Etymology Etymology is the study of the origin and history of words It traces the develo

  • regret

    Etymology Old French regretter Late Latin regretari meaning to murmur complain Po

  • regard

    Etymology The word regard comes from the Middle French word regarder which means t

  • reward

    Etymology Middle English rewarde from Anglo French rewarde reward from Old French r

  • anfractuous

    Etymology Latin anfractus a winding bend Proto Indo European h₂n̥k to ben

  • Brabant

    Etymology The name Brabant is thought to be derived from the Old Dutch words brabant or

  • bracken

    Etymology The word bracken comes from the Middle English word brake which ultimatel

  • brake

    Etymology The word brake has several etymological origins German brechen meaning

  • brake

    Etymology The word brake has several etymological origins German brechen meaning

  • brash

    Etymology The word brash is derived from Middle English brassen which itself is fro

  • breach

    Etymology Old French breche from Late Latin brecha from Celtic of unknown origin M

  • break

    Etymology Middle English breken breken Old English brecan Proto Germanic brekan Pro

  • breccia

    Etymology The word breccia comes from the Italian word breccia which means a breach

  • breeches

    Etymology Middle English breeches from Old English brec plural a garment worn by

  • brioche

    Etymology The word brioche is derived from the Old French word brier which means to

  • chamfer

    Etymology The word chamfer is derived from the Old French word chamfroir meaning t

  • defray

    Defray Etymology Borrowed from Middle French defreier from Old French desfreier desf

  • diffraction

    Etymology of Diffraction The word diffraction is derived from two Latin words Diffra

  • fractal

    Etymology The word fractal derives from the Latin term fractus meaning broken or

  • fraction

    Etymology The word fraction is derived from the Latin word fractio which means a b

  • fractious

  • fracture

    Etymology The word fracture comes from the Latin word fractura meaning a breaking I

  • fragile

    Etymology Latin fragilis Proto Indo European bhreg to break Meaning Br

  • fragility

    Etymology Late Middle English fragilitee from Anglo Norman French fragilitee from La

  • fragment

    Fragment Etymology Late Middle English from Old French fragment from Latin fragmentu

  • frail

    Etymology Middle English fraile from Anglo Norman French fraile Old French frele ul

  • frangible

    Etymology The word frangible is derived from the Latin word frangere meaning to bre

  • infraction

    Etymology From Latin infractio from infringere to break to violate from in

  • infringe

    Etymology Infringe comes from the Middle French word enfraindre meaning to break or

  • irrefragable

    Etymology Latin irrefrangibilis Prefix ir not Root frangere to break Suff

  • irrefrangible

    Etymology Latin irrefrangibilis unbreakable Late Latin infrangibilis unbreakable i

  • naufragous

    Etymology The word naufragous is derived from the Latin word naufragus which is a co

  • ossifrage

    Etymology The word ossifrage is derived from two Latin words Os bone Frango to

  • refract

    Etymology The word refract comes from the Latin word refringere which means to bre

  • refraction

    Etymology The word refraction originates from the Latin word refringere which mean

  • refrain

    Etymology Old French refraindre Medieval Latin refrangere Latin re back frang

  • refrangible

    Etymology The word refrangible is derived from the Latin word refringere which means

  • sassafras

    Etymology Middle English sasfras late 14th century Old French sassafras Latin sass

  • saxifrage

    Etymology The word saxifrage comes from the Latin words saxum meaning rock and

  • suffragan

    Etymology The word suffragan comes from the Latin word suffraganeus which is derived

  • suffrage

    Etymology Middle English suffrage c 1440 Anglo French suffrage 13th century La

  • abstain

    Etymology Middle English abstynen Old French and Anglo Norman abstinence Latin absti

  • chorus

    Etymology Late Latin chorus Greek khoros a dancing place from khoreia dance Me

  • burden

    Etymology The word burden comes from the Old English word byrðen meaning load or

  • ballade

    Etymology The word ballade comes from the Old French word balade which in turn deri

  • hold up

    Etymology Hold up is an idiomatic phrase that originated in the early 19th century It

  • stand by

    Etymology The verb stand by is derived from the Middle English verb stonden by which

  • leave

    Etymology The word leave has its origins in the Proto Indo European root leikw meani

  • avoid

    Usage The word serendipity has an interesting etymology However for the purposes o