fridge

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fɹɪd͡ʒ/^[1]

Etymology

It is a shortened and altered form of refrigerator,^[2][3][4] an unusual kind of word-formation in English,^[2] perhaps influenced by Frigidaire (1919), a popular early brand of self-contained refrigerator,^[2][5][3] a name suggesting Latin frigidarium, a cooling room in a bath.^[2] Merriam-Webster thinks it probably an alteration of frig.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A refrigerator: 1926.^[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

Frigerator as a colloquial shortening is attested by 1886.^[2] The form frig was also used.^[4] The fridge-freezer, combining a refrigerator and a freezer, is from 1971.^[3]

Timeline

• 1886 – frigerator.^[2]
• 1919 – Frigidaire.^[2]
• 1926 – fridge.^[3]
• 1971 – fridge-freezer.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (informal) A refrigerator.

Related words

• refrigerator
• frigid
• freezer

Usage notes

A different verb fridge, to fidget, or to rub or chafe, apparently imitative, is from the mid-16th century and survives in northern and Midland dialect.^[3][4][7]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)