Refrigerator
/rɪˈfrɪdʒəˌreɪtər/noun
An appliance or device used to keep food and drinks cold.
Did you know?Its ancestor, Latin *refrigerāre*, was built from *re-* (“again”) + *frīgus* (“cold”), so the word’s DNA is basically an old spell for restoring chill.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sregʷ-
“to be cold, frozen”
Latin
Latin
frīgus
“cold, chill”
Latin
Latin
refrigerāre
“to cool again, refresh”
Old French
Old French
refrigerer
“to cool, refresh”
14th Century
English
refrigerator
“one who or that which cools or refreshes”
Modern English
English
refrigerator
“an appliance for keeping things cold”
Explore more surprising origins