Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “overrefine” come from?

overrefine (English) comes from English refine, from English re-, from Middle English re-, from Old French re-, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō, from Latin prō-, from Proto-Italic *pro- — passed , crossed.

overrefine (English): To refine to an excessive degree

Definitions

  1. To refine to an excessive degree

Ancestry of “overrefine”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrefineTo purify; reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure...
2Englishre-again, anew; a completive or intensification of...
3Middle Englishre-—
4Old Frenchre-re-
5Latinrĕ-—
6Latinprōdūcō—
7Latinprō-—
8Proto-Italic*pro-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →