refine en · VERB
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- English fine English refine From re- + fine.
Meanings
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(transitive) To purify; reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities.
to refine wine
to refine gold
The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania.[…]It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber. Other liquids produced in the refining process, too unstable or smoky for lamplight, were burned or dumped.
2013 August 3, “Yesterday’s fuel”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:to refine iron
to refine sugar
- (intransitive) To become pure; to be cleared of impure matter.
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(transitive) To purify of coarseness, vulgarity, inelegance, etc.; to polish.
to refine one's tastes
to refine someone's manners
to refine a language
a refined style
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(ambitransitive) To improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence.
My dear Harriet, you must not refine too much upon this charade.—You will betray your feelings improperly, if you are too conscious and too quick, and appear to affix more meaning, or even quite all the meaning which may be affixed to it.
1815, Jane Austen, Emma, volume I, chapter 9:HS2 Ltd has continued to refine the designs, so that seven fewer ancient woodlands will be affected. This reduces the total number to 25. And of those 25 woodlands, 85% of the total area will remain untouched by HS2.
2023 August 23, Chris Howe, “Green screen: HS2's route through the shires”, in RAIL, number 990, page 34:Adjust the volume, tweak the contours, refine the timing and, if need be, fiddle with the setting, and the hoariest yuck-fest can seem as dewy as a morning in May. Examples of tales told ticklingly are in unusual abundance here, with comedies for every taste within the mainstream of London theater.
2007 August 2, Ben Brantley, “Titters, Snickers and Guffaws, With a British Accent”, in New York Times:
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(transitive) To make nice or subtle.
to refine thought
to refine someone's language
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| refines | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| refining | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| refined | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| refined | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Deriveds
electrorefine · refinery · refiningly · rerefine · overrefine · refiner · superrefine · re-refine · unrefine · refinement · refinable · refinability
Translations (68)
it impreziosire (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · ca refinar (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · pt purificar (to become pure) · it decantare (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · sv raffinera (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · cs vylepšovat (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · sv raffinera (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · ca refinar (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · ca refinar (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · ru соверше́нствоваться (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · sv förfina (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · it sgrossare (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · cs pročistit (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · cs kultivovat (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · da raffinere (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · fi jalostaa (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · fi puhdistaa (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · de verfeinern (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · it raffinare (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · mi whakamahine (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · bg облагородявам (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · fi jalostaa (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · it migliorare (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · el ραφινάρω (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · it raffinare (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · es perfeccionar (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · fi kehittää (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · da rense (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · ru очищать (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · da forbedre (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · fi kehittää (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · fi jalostaa (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · ru уточнять (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · cs čistit (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · pt refinar (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · eo rafini (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · ru детализировать (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · it purificare (to become pure) · pt refinar (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · it rifinire (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · az saflaşdırmaq (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · it decantare (to become pure) · sv raffinera (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · yi אויסאיידלען (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · it decontaminare (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · bg очиствам се (to become pure) · fr raffiner (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · ca refinar (to become pure) · it lucidare (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · it raffinare (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · da forfine (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · he השתבח (to improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence) · it migliorare (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · cs rafinovat (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · es refinar (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · it ripulire (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · fi hioa (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · bg пречиствам (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · fi jalostaa (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language) · it purificare (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · ca refinar (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · sv förfina (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · ru облагораживать (to purify from what is gross, coarse, vulgar, inelegant, low, and the like; to make elegant or excellent; to polish) · fi jalostua (to become pure) · gl refinar (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · mi whakaparakore (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · cs vyčistit (to reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy) · it purificare (to affect nicety or subtlety in thought or language)