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refill

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Etymology and origin of the English word refill

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1615 E. Sandys, Sacred Hymns
Ultimate origins
English re-Old English fyllan
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English fill
English refill
From the same root
English filler ← fill
English landfill ← fill

Pronunciation

  • /ˈɹiː.fɪl/[1]

Etymology

The verb is formed from English re- + fill, "again" and "to fill".[2][3][4][5][6][7] The noun is a conversion of the verb,[2][3] modelled on the noun fill.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

To fill something again: 1615, in E. Sandys's Sacred Hymns.[2][4] Etymonline and Dictionary.com date the verb only to the 1680s.[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The verb was used intransitively, of a thing becoming full again, from 1663.[2] The noun appeared only in the 1880s, for what serves to refill something, especially a fresh, ready-packed supply of the material a device has to be loaded with; the OED's first record is an advertisement of 1883.[2][4][3] From the early 20th century the noun also meant a further drink or the renewed contents of a glass,[3][5][2] and in American use a second serving of food or drink and a repeat dispensing of a medical prescription.[4]

Timeline

  • 1615 – verb, to fill something again.[2][4] Etymonline dates it to the 1680s.[3]
  • 1663 – verb, to become full again.[2]
  • 1883 – noun, a fresh supply of material to refill something.[2][4] Etymonline dates the noun to 1884.[3]
  • 1903 – adjective, made to serve as or to take a refill.[2]
  • 1909 – a second drink;[3] by 1923, the renewed contents of a glass.[3] The OED's first record of a refilled glass or cup is from 1929.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To fill something again: She refilled the kettle and put it back on the stove.[4][8][2]
  2. To become full again: The reservoir refilled after the spring rains.[4][2]

Noun

  1. A new supply of a consumable material, packaged to go into a permanent container or device: a pack of ink refills for a fountain pen.[8][4][2]
  2. The act of filling something again: a refill of the fuel tank.[8][2]
  3. (informal) Another drink or helping to replace one already finished.[8][4][5]
  4. A prescription dispensed again, without a new order from the doctor.[4]

Word family

  • refillable
  • unrefilled

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  8. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Refill.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/refill. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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