refusal English · revision 39416

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1474–5, Rolls of Parliament}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɹɪˈfjuːzl̩/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|en|refuse|-al]],^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002)^(Etymonline) in Middle English [[m|enm|refusell]].^(MWU 2024)^(Dictionary.com 2016) The OED compares the Law French word ''refusal'' of the late 15th century.^(OED 2026) The earlier noun was ''refuse'', from [[fro|refus]], which was common until the 16th century.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The act of refusing something asked for or offered: 1474–5, in the Rolls of Parliament.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==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).^(OED 2026) The commercial sense, a chance to accept or decline something before others are offered it, appears in 1565 and lives on in ''first refusal''.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) 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).^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1474–5 – the act of refusing.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1482 – repudiation of a contract or allegiance (obsolete by 1609).^(OED 2026)

+ * 1565 – the option to take something before others.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1618 – something refused (obsolete by 1747).^(OED 2026)

+ * 1837 – resistance of a pile to further driving.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1856 – a horse stopping or turning aside at a jump.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The act of refusing or [[deny|alt=denying]] something asked, offered or demanded: ''his refusal to sign surprised everyone''.^(MWU 2024)^(AHD)

+ # The right or chance to accept or turn down something before it is offered to anyone else, as in ''first refusal''.^(MWU 2024)^(AHD)

+ # ''(equestrianism)'' An instance of a horse stopping short or turning away at a [[fence]] or jump.^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[refuse]]

+ * [[refute]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}