Etymograph

English

refresh

Refresh comes from Old French refrescher ‘to refresh’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400refrescher1‘to refresh’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500refreshen1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1611refresh1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English refresh
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath,…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400refrescherWiktionary, English refresh‘to refresh’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500refreshenWiktionary, English refresh
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1611refreshWiktionary, English refresh. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath,…”

Formed from re- + fresh

Proto-Italic *wre- ‘again’

English re-

Proto-Indo-European *preysk-

Proto-Germanic *friskaz

Proto-West Germanic *frisk

Old English fersċ ‘fresh’

Middle English fressh ‘fresh’

English fresh

Every English word from Old French refrescher

Today it means

verb To renew or revitalize.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “refresh”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old French refrescher / refresh

Shirt and support for this word