Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “refuge” come from?

Refuge comes from Old French refuge, from Latin refugium, combining the prefix re- with Latin fugio meaning to flee, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.

refuge (English): A state of safety, protection or shelter; A place...

Definitions

  1. A state of safety, protection or shelter; A place...

Ancestry of “refuge”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishrefuge—
2Old Frenchrefugea refuge; a protector or savior
3Latinrefugiumrefuge
4Latinrefugiō—
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 “refuge”

  • refugeless
  • refugitive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →