Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “refurbish” come from?

Refurbish comes from Middle English re- combined with Old French forbir, ultimately deriving from Latin re- (again) and a root meaning to turn or work found in Proto-Indo-European wer-.

refurbish (English): To rebuild or replenish with all new material; to...

Definitions

  1. To rebuild or replenish with all new material; to...

Ancestry of “refurbish”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishre-again, anew; a completive or intensification of...
2Middle Englishre-—
3Old Frenchre-re-
4Latinrĕ-—
5Latinprōdūcō—
6Latinprō-—
7Proto-Italic*pro-—
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 “refurbish”

  • refurbishment
  • refurbisher
  • refurbishable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →