Etymology

refuse

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Today it means: Discarded, rejected. Full definition →

Middle French refusé
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refuse · adjective, noun1

  1. Middle French · derived fromrefusé
  2. English todayrefuse

Borrowed into late Middle English from Middle French refusé, past participle of refuser (“to refuse”). Displaced native Middle English wernen (“to refuse”) likely due to the similar sounding Middle English warnen

refuse · verb, noun2

  1. Latin · derived fromrefūsus
  2. Latin · derived fromrefūtāre
  3. Vulgar Latin · derived from*refūsāre
  4. Old French · derived fromrefuser
  5. Middle English · inherited fromrefusen
  6. English todayrefuse

From Middle English refusen, from Old French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refūsāre, either from a blend of Classical Latin refūtāre (whence also refute) and recūsāre (whence also recuse) or from Latin refūsus, the perfect passive participle of refundere (“to pour back”, whence also refund).

refuse · verb3

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Old Frenchre-
  4. Middle Englishre-
  5. Englishre-
  6. Englishfuse
  7. English todayrefuse

From re- + fuse.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.