Refrigerant
/rɪˈfrɪdʒərənt/noun
A substance used in a refrigeration system to absorb and release heat, producing cooling.
Did you know?Refrigerant belongs to a Latin word family connected with coldness and stiffness, linking modern cooling technology to ancient ideas of bodily chill and rigidity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sregʰ-
“To become cold or stiff; a proposed ancestral root associated with the Latin coldness word-family”
Classical Latin
Latin
frigus
“Cold or coldness”
Classical Latin
Latin
refrigerare
“To cool again or make cold”
Late Latin
Latin
refrigerans
“Cooling or refreshing; the present participle of refrigerare”
14th Century
Middle English
refrigerant
“Cooling or refreshing”
19th Century
English
refrigerant
“A cooling substance used in mechanical refrigeration”
Modern English
English
refrigerant
“A fluid or compound that transfers heat in a refrigeration or air-conditioning system”