Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “refringe” come from?

refringe (English) comes from Latin refringere, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō, from Latin prō-, from Proto-Italic *pro-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.

refringe (English): To infringe; To refract

Definitions

  1. To infringe; To refract

Ancestry of “refringe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinrefringeresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
2Latinrĕ-—
3Latinprōdūcō—
4Latinprō-—
5Proto-Italic*pro-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “refringe”

  • birefringence
  • refringence
  • nonbirefringence
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →