Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms
Related Questions
What is a refrain?

refrain

 [ri-freyn]   Origin

re·frain

1   [ri-freyn]
verb (used without object)
1.
to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed by from): I refrained from telling him what I thought.
verb (used with object)
2.
Archaic. to curb.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Refrain is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English refreinen < Old French refrener < Latin refrēnāre to bridle, equivalent to re- re- + frēn(um) bridle + -āre infinitive suffix

Related forms
re·frain·er, noun
re·frain·ment, noun
un·re·frained, adjective
un·re·frain·ing, adjective

Can be confused: refrain, restrain.

Synonyms
1. forbear, desist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

re·frain

2   [ri-freyn]
noun
1.
a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a song or poem, especially at the end of each stanza; chorus.
2.
Music.
a.
a musical setting for the refrain of a poem.
b.
any melody.
c.
the principal, recurrent section of a rondo.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English refreyne < Old French refrain, derivative of refraindre to break sequence < Vulgar Latin *refrangere, for Latin refringere to refract
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To refrain
Collins
World English Dictionary
refrain1 (rɪˈfreɪn)
 
—vb (usually foll by from)
to abstain (from action); forbear
 
[C14: from Latin refrēnāre to check with a bridle, from re- + frēnum a bridle]
 
re'frainer1
 
—n
 
re'frainment1
 
—n

refrain2 (rɪˈfreɪn)
 
—n
1.  a regularly recurring melody, such as the chorus of a song
2.  a much repeated saying or idea
 
[C14: via Old French, ultimately from Latin refringere to break into pieces]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

refrain
c.1300, from O.Fr. refraigner "restrain, repress" (12c.), from L. refrenare "bridle, hold in with a bit," from re- "back" + frenare "restrain, furnish with a bridle," from frenum "a bridle."
EXPAND

refrain
late 14c., from O.Fr. refrain, alteration of refrait, properly pp. of refraindre "repeat," also "break off," from Prov. refranhar "singing of birds, refrain," from V.L. *refrangere "break off," alteration of L. refringere (see refraction). The notion is of something that
causes a song to "break off" then resume. Not common before 19c.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

refrain definition


In some pieces of verse, a set of words repeated at the end of each stanza.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

refrain

a phrase, line, or group of lines repeated at intervals throughout a poem, generally at the end of the stanza. Refrains are found in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead and are common in primitive tribal chants. They appear in literature as varied as ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Latin verse, popular ballads, and Renaissance and Romantic lyrics. Three common refrains are the chorus, recited by more than one person; the burden, in which a whole stanza is repeated; and the repetend, in which the words are repeated erratically throughout the poem. A refrain may be an exact repetition, or it may exhibit slight variations in meaning or form as in the following excerpt from "Jesse James": Jesse had a wife to mourn him all her life,The children they are brave.'Twas a dirty little coward shotMister Howard,And laid Jesse James in his grave.. . . . . . . .It was Robert Ford, the dirty little coward,I wonder how he does feel,For he ate of Jesse's bread and he slept inJesse's bed,Then he laid Jesse James in his grave.(Anonymous)

Learn more about refrain with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT