Where does “refund” come from?
Refund comes from Middle English refunden, from Old French refondre, from Latin refundere, combining the prefix re- with fundus meaning "bottom" or "foundation," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- meaning "to turn."
refund (English): To return (money) to (someone); to reimburse
Definitions
- To return (money) to (someone); to reimburse
Ancestry of “refund”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | refunden | — |
| 2 | Old French | refondre | — |
| 3 | Latin | refundere | present active infinitive of refundō;... |
| 4 | Latin | refundo | I pour back, pour out |
| 5 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 6 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 7 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |