refrain
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English refreynen, from Anglo-Norman refrener, Old French refrener, from Latin refrēnāre, from re- + frēnāre, from frēnum.
Base: frēnāre
Affixes: re-
Inflected forms:
form: refrains
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: refraining
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: refrained
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: refrained
pos: verb
tags: past
form: refrains
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: To hold back, to restrain (someone or something).
pos: verb
tags: archaic
transitive
examples: Refrain thy foot from their path.
The presence even for a moment among a party of debauchees of a woman endued with every quality of modesty and not less severe than beautiful refrained the humorous sallies even of the most licentious but her departure was the signal for an outbreak of ribaldry.
gloss: To show restraint; to hold oneself back.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
reflexive
examples: And nowe I saye unto you: refrayne youreselves from these men, and let them alone [...].
As I went down the river, all dissatisfaction at my lot passed away, and by the time Dartmouth came in view I could no longer refrain myself, but threw my cap into the air, and barely caught it from falling overboard as I shouted, "Hurrah for merry England![…]"
gloss: To repress (a desire, emotion etc.); to check or curb.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
transitive
gloss: To stop oneself from some action or interference; to abstain; to eschew
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Refrain from these men, and let them alone.
They refrained therefrom [eating flesh] some time after.
July 5, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to Vanessa
If you knew how I struggle for a little health, what uneasiness I am at in riding and walking, and refraining from every thing agreeable to my taste
I will [...] tell you the story of what has happened to me, if you like, but you must refrain from interruptions.
gloss: To abstain from (food or drink).
pos: verb
tags: rare
regional
transitive
examples: Who, requiring a remedy for his gout, received no other counsel than to refrain cold drink.
gloss: The chorus or burden of a song repeated at the end of each verse or stanza.
pos: noun
examples: For perhaps as much as thirty seconds they kept it up. It was a refrain that was often heard in moments of overwhelming emotion. Partly it was a sort of hymn to the wisdom and majesty of Big Brother, but still more it was an act of self-hypnosis, a deliberate drowning of consciousness by means of rhythmic noise.
gloss: A much repeated comment, complaint, or saying.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
Derived words: refrainer
refrainment
unrefraining
Translations:
lang: Arabic
word: اِمْتَنَعَ
lang: Azerbaijani
word: saqınmaq
lang: Bulgarian
word: въздържам се
roman: vǎzdǎržam se
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 避免
roman: bìmiǎn
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 戒除
roman: jièchú
lang: Czech
word: zdržet se
lang: Czech
word: vyvarovat se
lang: Czech
word: upustit
lang: Czech
word: vyhnout se
lang: Danish
word: afholde sig
lang: Danish
word: afstå
lang: Dutch
word: zich onthouden
lang: Finnish
word: pidättyä
lang: French
word: s'abstenir
lang: German
word: sich enthalten
lang: German
word: verzichten
lang: German
word: absehen
lang: German
word: unterlassen
lang: German
word: sich zurückhalten
lang: German
word: Abstand nehmen
lang: Italian
word: astenersi
lang: Japanese
word: 慎む
roman: tsutsushimu
lang: Japanese
word: 差し控える
roman: sashihikaeru
lang: Latin
word: parcō
lang: Māori
word: wainamu
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: avholde seg
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: avstå
lang: Polish
word: powstrzymywać się
lang: Polish
word: powstrzymać się
lang: Portuguese
word: abster-se (de)
lang: Slovene
word: vzdržati se
lang: Spanish
word: abstenerse
lang: Spanish
word: prescindir
lang: Spanish
word: inhibirse
lang: Swedish
word: avhålla sig
lang: Swedish
word: avstå
lang: Swedish
word: låta bli
lang: Swedish
word: dra sig för
lang: Ukrainian
word: утри́муватися
roman: utrýmuvatysja
lang: Ukrainian
word: утри́матися
roman: utrýmatysja