refuse
Discarded, rejected.
Adjective
- Discarded, rejected.
Origin
Borrowed into late Middle English from Middle French refusé, past participle of refuser (“to refuse”). Displaced native Middle English wernen (“to refuse”) likely due to the similar sounding Middle English warnen
Forms
Noun Entry 2
- Collectively, items or material that have been discarded; rubbish, garbage.
Synonyms
Derived
Noun obsolete
- refusal
- This ſpoken, readie with a proud refuſe [...] - 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “The Twelfth Booke of Godfrey of Bulloigne”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of...
Origin
From Middle English refusen, from Old French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refūsāre, a blend of Classical Latin refūtāre (whence also refute) and recūsāre (whence also recuse).
Verb Entry 4
- To decline (a request or demand).
- My request for a pay rise was refused.
- After the death of his [Verney's] first wife, he proposed to Florence Nightingale but she refused him. Later he married her sister, and for many years Claydon was Miss Nightingale's second home. - 1960 March 5, N....
- To decline a request or demand, forbear; to withhold permission.
- I refuse to listen to this nonsense any more.
- I asked the star if I could have her autograph, but she refused.
- If ye refuse […] ye shall be devoured with the sword. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 1:20:
- To withhold (something) from (someone); to not give it to them or to bar them from having it.
- If we bang or scream they will spray us with some pepper or something else that's in an aeresol ^([sic]) can, and they wear gas masks, while the rest of us have to breathe the fumes in, and it makes us very sick and...
- To throw back, or cause to keep back (as the centre, a wing, or a flank), out of the regular alignment when troops are about to engage the enemy.
- to refuse the right wing while the left wing attacks
- To disown.
- Refuse thy name. - c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
Forms
refuses refusing refused no-table-tags glossary refuse refusest refusedst refuseth -
Synonyms
decline reject nill say no to turn down veto withsake withsay say no forbear
Related
Derived
offer one can't refuse refusable refusednik refusingly unrefused unrefusing
Verb Entry 5
- To fuse again, as with, or after, heating or melting.
Origin
Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- English fuse English refuse From re- + fuse.