Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “refining” come from?

Refining comes from English refine, from English fine, from Italian fine, from Latin finis meaning "end" or "boundary," with the prefix re- from Latin re-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeygʷ-.

refining (English): present participle of refine; Refinement

Definitions

  1. present participle of refine; Refinement

Ancestry of “refining”, 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

Words derived from “refining”

  • electrorefining
  • biorefining
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →