refine
/ɹɪˈfaɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.28 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence.
Example Sentences
- "to refine gold"
- "to refine iron"
- "to refine wine"
- "to refine sugar"
- "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."
- "to refine someone's manners"
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.