Etymologically
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refusal

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 21:07. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ɹɪˈfjuːzl̩/[1]

Etymology

It is from English refuse + -al,[2][3][4] in Middle English refusell.[5][6] The OED compares the Law French word refusal of the late 15th century.[2] The earlier noun was refuse, from Old French refus, which was common until the 16th century.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of refusing something asked for or offered: 1474–5, in the Rolls of Parliament.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Besides the act of refusing, the noun once meant the renouncing of a contract or allegiance (1482–1609) and a thing that had been refused (1618–1747).[2] The commercial sense, a chance to accept or decline something before others are offered it, appears in 1565 and lives on in first refusal.[2][4] Later special uses include a horse's stopping short at a jump (from 1856) and, in engineering, the point at which a pile can be driven no further (from 1837).[2][3]

Timeline

  • 1474–5 – the act of refusing.[2]
  • 1482 – repudiation of a contract or allegiance (obsolete by 1609).[2]
  • 1565 – the option to take something before others.[2][4]
  • 1618 – something refused (obsolete by 1747).[2]
  • 1837 – resistance of a pile to further driving.[2]
  • 1856 – a horse stopping or turning aside at a jump.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of refusing or denying something asked, offered or demanded: his refusal to sign surprised everyone.
  2. The right or chance to accept or turn down something before it is offered to anyone else, as in first refusal.
  3. (equestrianism) An instance of a horse stopping short or turning away at a fence or jump.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House