Where does “refract” come from?

Refract comes from Latin refractus, the past participle of refringere, meaning to break back, from re- and fringere, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰreg-.

refract (English): To change direction as a result of entering a...

Definitions

  1. To change direction as a result of entering a...

Ancestry of “refract”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinrefractumnominative neuter singular of refrāctus;...
2Latinrefractusbroken up or open
3Latinrefringeresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
4Latinrĕ-back, backwards
5Latinprōdūcōto lead or bring forth, forward or out
6Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
7Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “refract

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós