Etymograph

English

refuse

Refuse (the verb) comes from Middle English refusen, from Old French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refūsāre, of disputed formation.

  1. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*refūsāre1uncertain
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400refuser1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500refusen1
  4. Englishtodayrefuse1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English refuse

Lineage

  1. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*refūsāreWiktionary, English refuseuncertain
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400refuserWiktionary, English refuse
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500refusenWiktionary, English refuse
  4. EnglishtodayrefuseWiktionary, English refuse

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- ‘to pour’

yet, founder, gut, font, confusion, fusion, foundry, funnel, refund, confuse, confound, diffuse, fondue, infuse, effusive, 46 more

Another origin of refuse

  1. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*refūsārereconstructed
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400refuser‘to refuse’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500refusen
  4. Englishtodayrefuse

Today it means

adj Discarded, rejected.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “refuse”. 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 / Vulgar Latin *refūsāre / refuse

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