refinar

Forms

refinar (first-person singular present refino, first-person singular preterite refinei, past participle refinado)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Portuguese re- + fino + -ar, according to Houaiss, Aurélio and the DLP.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary instead derives it from Latin re- and fīnītus.^[1] The adjective fino goes back to finis (“end”), which came to mean the most perfect part of something, hence “fine, refined”.^[5] Bluteau in the 1710s already derived the verb from the Latin noun, since things that reach their end attain their perfection.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss dates the first record to 1589, and Cunha places it in the 16th century.^[2][5] Morais quotes the reflexive from the Diálogos of Arraes, “at the hour of death the works of the love of Christ are refined the more” (na hora da morte se refinarão mais as obras do amor de Christo).^[7]

Semantic evolution

Bluteau (1712–1728) gives refinar or affinar for raising the fineness of metals and, of other things, purifying and perfecting them, as with gold or incense.^[6] Houaiss records the variant rafinar in 1720.^[2] Morais (1813) lists the refining of metals, sugar, opium and camphor, the figurative “to grow more virtuous”, and an odd sense “to hurl violently”, said of gunpowder.^[7] Vieira (1871–1874) adds refinar o ódio, to make a feeling stronger.^[8] The modern senses include the industrial refining of oil and the polishing of manners and style.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1589 – first record of refinar.^[2]
• before 1595 – first record of the participle refinado.^[9]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau lists refinar or affinar for metals.^[6]
• 1720 – the variant rafinar.^[2]
• before 1789 – first record of refinaria.^[10]
• 1858 – refinamento is listed in Morais's dictionary.^[11]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make finer or thinner.^[2][3]
2. To make more polished or elegant; to improve: refinar o gosto.^[2][3]
3. To make stronger or more intense: O medo refinou a sua astúcia.^[2][3]
4. To refine a product, freeing it of impurities by a series of operations: refinar açúcar.^[2][3][4][1]
5. (reflexive) To become more refined or perfect.^[8][4]

Related words

• fino
• afinar
• requintar

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. refinar
3. ^ a b c d e f Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. refinar
4. ^ a b c Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, revised online edition (2023–) of the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa Contemporânea (2001), https://dicionario.acad-ciencias.pt, p. s.v. refinar
5. ^ a b Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. fino
6. ^ a b c Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. refinar
7. ^ a b Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 578
8. ^ a b Vieira, Frei Domingos (1871–1874), Grande Diccionario Portuguez ou Thesouro da lingua portugueza, 5 vols., Porto: Ernesto Chardron e Bartholomeu H. de Moraes, p. 5, 148
9. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. refinado
10. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. refinaria
11. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. refinamento