refresh (English)
Where does "refresh" come from?
The word 'refresh' stems from the Middle English 'refreshen,' a combination of the prefix 're-' and the word 'fresh.' While the core adjective descends from the Proto-Germanic 'friskaz' and ancient roots for 'unsalted' or 'new,' the verb was further refined through Old French influence before evolving into its modern English uses, ranging from restoring physical vitality to updating digital data.
Full etymology tree
- refresh (English), 'The periodic energizing required to maintain the contents of computer memory, the display luminance of a computer screen, etc.'
- inherited refreshen (Middle English)
- borrowed refrescher (Old French)
- affix re- (Latin), 'back, backwards'
- inherited res (Latin), 'thing, object, stuff'
- inherited *reis (Proto-Italic), 'thing, matter'
- inherited *reh₁ís (Proto-Indo-European), 'wealth, goods'
- inherited *reis (Proto-Italic), 'thing, matter'
- inherited res (Latin), 'thing, object, stuff'
- affix fresh (English), 'Newly produced or obtained; recent.'
- inherited fressh (Middle English), 'fresh; new; newly updated'
- inherited fersċ (Old English), 'fresh'
- inherited *friskaz (Proto-Germanic), 'fresh'
- inherited *preysk- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *friskaz (Proto-Germanic), 'fresh'
- inherited fersċ (Old English), 'fresh'
- inherited fressh (Middle English), 'fresh; new; newly updated'
- affix re- (Latin), 'back, backwards'
- borrowed refrescher (Old French)
- inherited refreshen (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris