English
refugitive
Blend of refugee + fugitive.
Proto-Indo-European *bʰewg-
…
Latin refugium ‘a place of refuge, place to flee back to’
Old French refuge ‘hiding place’
French réfugier ‘to take refuge, to seek refuge’
French réfugié
English refugee
Latin fugiō ‘to flee, fly, take flight, escape, depart,…’
Latin fugitō ‘to flee’
Latin fugitīvus ‘fugitive, deserter, runaway slave’
Middle English fugitive
English fugitive
Today it means
noun A fugitive who seeks refuge in another state or country.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “refugitive”. 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 / refugitive