refinement

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *wre-

Latin re-der.

Old French re-bor.

Middle English re-

English re-

English fine

English refine

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom

Proto-Italic *-mentom

Latin -mentum

Old French -mentbor.

Middle English -ment

English -ment

English refinement

From refine + -ment.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹəˈfaɪnmənt/, /ɹɪˈfaɪnmənt/
• Hyphenation: re‧fine‧ment

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪnmənt

Noun

refinement (countable and uncountable, plural refinements)

1. The act, or the result of refining; the removal of impurities, or a purified material
2. High-class style; cultivation.
3. A fine or subtle distinction.
4. A luxury.
   • 1974 February 2, Nancy Walker, “Call of the Wild”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 32, page 11:

     There was no bathroom in the cabin. Such refinements don't exist in the woods, apparently.

5. (software engineering) Synonym of grooming (“review and prioritization process”).

Synonyms

• gentility

Derived terms

• autorefinement
• biorefinement
• electrorefinement
• overrefinement
• ultrarefinement

Translations

act, or the result of refining; the removal of impurities, or a purified material

• Arabic: تَكْرِير m (takrīr)
• Bulgarian: пречистване (bg) n (prečistvane), рафиниране (bg) n (rafinirane)
• Czech: rafinace f
• Dutch: zuivering (nl)
• Finnish: jalostus (fi), puhdistus (fi), jalostaminen (fi), puhdistaminen (fi)
• Galician: refino m
• German: Verbesserung (de) f, Veredelung (de) f
• Hindi: शोधन (hi) m (śodhan), प्रसंस्करण m (prasanskaraṇ)
• Japanese: みやび (ja) (miyabi)
• Macedonian: прочистување n (pročistuvanje), рафинирање n (rafiniranje)
• Portuguese: refino (pt) m
• Romanian: rafinare (ro) f, rafinaj (ro) n
• Spanish: refinación f
• Swedish: förfining (sv) c
• Turkish: arıtma (tr), arıtım (tr), düzeltme (tr), tasfiye (tr), temizleme (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: تصفیه (tasfiye) (purification); قال (kal) (metallurgy)

high-class style; cultivation

• Bulgarian: финес (bg) (fines)
• Danish: raffinement (da) n
• Finnish: hienostuneisuus (fi), hienokäytöksisyys, sivistyneisyys (fi)
• French: raffinement (fr)
• German: Veredeln n, Veredelung (de) f
• Hungarian: kifinomultság (hu)
• Japanese: みやび (ja) (miyabi)
• Latin: urbānitās f
• Macedonian: префинетост f (prefinetost)
• Manchu: ᡧᡠ (šu)
• Polish: elegancja (pl) f
• Portuguese: refino (pt) m, refinamento (pt) m, fineza (pt) f, finura (pt) f, requinte (pt) m, finesse f
• Romanian: rafinament (ro) n, finețe (ro) f, delicatețe (ro) f
• Spanish: refinamiento (es) m
• Swedish: förfining (sv) c, raffinemang (sv) n
• Turkish: arıtma (tr), arıtım (tr), selika (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: طبیعت (tabiʼat), نازكلك (nâziklik), سلیقه (selika)

fine or subtle distinction

• Danish: raffinement (da) n
• Dutch: verfijning (nl)
• Macedonian: истенченост f (istenčenost)
• Portuguese: refino (pt) m
• Swedish: förfining (sv) c, raffinemang (sv) n