French word

rafraîchir

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁafʁeʃiʁ/

Meaning

  • verbcool

Example

Peux-tu rafraîchir la boisson ?

Can you cool the drink?

Illustration for rafraîchir (cool)

More examples

Pour te rafraîchir, bois de l'eau froide.

To cool off, drink cold water.

Core concept

Bringing back a fresh state, whether in temperature, atmosphere, energy, or information.

Common phrases

  • rafraîchir la boisson

    chill the drink

  • se rafraîchir

    cool off

  • rafraîchir l'air

    make the air cooler

Similar words

refroidir: Lowers an object's temperature, making it cold.
réfrigérer: Cools food in a refrigerator so it can be safely stored.
congeler: Turns liquids or food into a solid frozen state.
actualiser: Updates a screen or information to the latest version.

Definition in French

Refroidir légèrement un objet, une boisson ou un espace pour le rendre plus frais ; s'emploie aussi au sens figuré pour actualiser ou rendre plus vif.

Word origin

The verb comes from Old French rafraischir, built from re- and frais, whose distant Latin source is frigidus.

Usage tips

  • In digital contexts, rafraîchir la page means to refresh the page, not to cool it, and the same direct-object pattern remains.

Other meanings

  • refreshverb
  • updateverb

Opposites

Related words

  • rafraîchissementcoolingnoun
  • rafraîchissantrefreshingadjective
  • rafraîchicooledadjective

Word lists with this word