refrain
/ɹɪˈfɹeɪn/ verb, noun
Forms refrains refraining refrained
- verb (transitive, archaic) To hold back, to restrain (someone or something).
- verb (reflexive, archaic) To show restraint; to hold oneself back.
- verb (transitive, now rare) To repress (a desire, emotion etc.); to check or curb.
- verb (intransitive, with preposition "from") To stop oneself from some action or interference; to abstain; to eschew
- verb (transitive, rare, regional) To abstain from (food or drink).
- noun The chorus or burden of a song repeated at the end of each verse or stanza.
- noun (by extension) A much repeated comment, complaint, or saying.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English refreynen, from Anglo-Norman refrener, Old French refrener, from Latin refrēnāre, from re- + frēnāre, from frēnum.
From French refrain, from the Old French verb refraindre (“to break off, repeat”), from Latin re- (“back, again”) + frangō (“break”); compare Occitan refranhs (“a refrain”), refranher (“to repeat”). See refract and the verb refrain.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To hold back; to restrain; to keep within prescribed bounds; to curb; to govern.
- verb To abstain from [Obs.]
- verb To keep one's self from action or interference; to hold aloof; to forbear; to abstain.
- noun The burden of a song; a phrase or verse which recurs at the end of each of the separate stanzas or divisions of a poetic composition.
Etymology [OE. refreinen, OF. refrener, F. refr, fr. L. refrenare; influenced by OF. refraindre to restrain, moderate, fr. LL. refrangere, for L. refringere to break up, break (see Refract). L. refrenare is fr. pref. re- back + frenum bridle; cf. Skr. dh to hold.]
Etymology [F. refrain, fr. OF. refraindre; cf. Pr. refranhs a refrain, refranher to repeat. See Refract,Refrain, v.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “refrain”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details