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re·fresh (rĭ-frĕsh)
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v. re·freshed, re·fresh·ing, re·fresh·es
v. tr.
1.
a. To revive or reinvigorate, as with rest, food, or drink: She was refreshed by a quick nap.
b. To renew by stimulation: refresh one's memory; refreshed my French with an online course.
2. To make cool, clean, or moist; freshen up: refreshed the lettuce under the faucet.
3. To fill up again; replenish: refresh a drink.
4. Electronics To renew (the image on a display screen), as by renewing the flow of electrons from the cathode-ray tube: The faster a monitor refreshes images, the less it flickers.
5. Computers
a. To update (the information displayed on a screen), as to reflect the most recent changes to a webpage being viewed.
b. To maintain (data in a dynamic RAM) by sending a new electric pulse to recharge the microchips.
v. intr.
1. To take refreshment.
2. To become fresh again; revive.
[Middle English refresshen, from Old French refreschir : re-, re- + fres, fresche, fresh (of Germanic origin).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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