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refrain - 11 dictionary results

re⋅frain

1  [ri-freyn]
Use refrain in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often fol. by from): I refrained from telling him what I thought.
–verb (used with object)
2. Archaic. to curb.
Origin:
1300–50; ME refreinen < OF refrener < L refrēnāre to bridle, equiv. to re- re- + frēn(um) bridle + -āre inf. suffix

Related forms:
re⋅frain⋅er, noun
re⋅frain⋅ment, noun

Synonyms:
1. forbear, desist.

re⋅frain

2  [ri-freyn]
–noun
1. a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a song or poem, esp. 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; ME refreyne < OF refrain, deriv. of refraindre to break sequence < VL *refrangere, for L refringere to refract
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To refrain
re·frain 1   (rĭ-frān')   
v.   re·frained, re·frain·ing, re·frains

v.   intr.
To hold oneself back; forbear: refrained from swearing.
v.   tr. Archaic
To restrain or hold back; curb.

[Middle English refreinen, from Old French refrener, to restrain, from Latin refrēnāre : re-, re- + frēnāre, to restrain (from frēnum, bridle, from frendere, to grind; see ghrendh- in Indo-European roots).]
re·frain'er n., re·frain'ment n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to keep or prevent oneself from doing or saying something: refrained from commenting; abstained from smoking; can't forbear criticizing them.
re·frain 2   (rĭ-frān')   
n.  
    1. A phrase, verse, or group of verses repeated at intervals throughout a song or poem, especially at the end of each stanza.
    2. Music for the refrain of a poem.
  2. A song or melody.
  3. A repeated utterance or theme.

[Middle English refrein, from Old French refrain, alteration of refrait, past participle of refraindre, to break off, repeat, from Vulgar Latin *refrangere, to break off, alteration of Latin refringere; see refract.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Refrain

Re*frain"\ (r?*fr?n"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Refrained (-fr?nd"); p. pr. & vb/ n. Refraining.] [OE. refreinen, OF. refrener, F. refr?ner, 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.]

1. To hold back; to restrain; to keep within prescribed bounds; to curb; to govern.

His reson refraineth not his foul delight or talent. --Chaucer.

Refrain thy foot from their path. --Prov. i. 15.

2. To abstain from [Obs.]

Who, requiring a remedy for his gout, received no other counsel than to refrain cold drink. --Sir T. Browne.

Refrain

Re*frain"\, v. i. To keep one's self from action or interference; to hold aloof; to forbear; to abstain.

Refrain from these men, and let them alone. --Acts v. 38.

They refrained therefrom [eating flesh] some time after. --Sir T. Browne.

Syn: To hold back; forbear; abstain; withhold.

Refrain

Re*frain"\, n. [F. refrain, fr. OF. refraindre; cf. Pr. refranhs a refrain, refranher to repeat. See Refract,Refrain, v.] 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.

We hear the wild refrain. --Whittier.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : refrain
Spanish: estribillo,
German: der Refrain,
Japanese: 折り返し
More Translations »

refrain

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

refrain  (v.)
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."

refrain  (n.)
c.1374, from O.Fr. refrain, alteration of refrait, prop. 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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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)

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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