refreshment
/ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ.mənt/
refreshment means the process of refreshing; a means of restoring strength, energy or vigour. It carries an Arena rating of 1440, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, refreshment ranks #2,492 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,614 of 42,762 for Qualifying, #3,982 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,728 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
refreshment is pronounced /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ.mənt/.
Why “refreshment” is a great word
Refreshment is something that restores or revives, especially a light food or drink taken to reinvigorate. From Middle English *refresshement*, via Middle French *refreschement*, from Old French *refrescher* (to refresh), built from *re-* (again) + *fresche* (fresh), the latter from a Germanic source akin to Old High German *frisc*; first recorded in English circa 1665. Unlike “nourishment,” which implies a deep, foundational sustenance, or “repose,” which offers restoration through stillness, refreshment is the active, gentle shock of revival. It is the sharp, clean cut of cucumber in water on a sweltering day, the brief, citrus sting of a sherbet dissolving on the tongue, the effervescent prick of bubbles in a glass held against a fevered temple—a minor sacrament against the wearing down of things, a small, sensory insistence that one might begin again.
Etymology
Recorded since 1665; either directly or via Middle English refreschement, from Old French refrescher (12th century; modern French rafraîchir), itself from re- (“again”) + fresche (“fresh”) (modern French frais; from a Germanic source, cognate with Old High German frisc, modern German frisch, Dutch fris, etc.)
noun
- The process of refreshing; a means of restoring strength, energy or vigour.
- That which refreshes, such as a light snack or drink.e.g.“All refreshments will be provided by the hosts.”
- The result of being refreshed.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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