Refrigerate

Refrigerate

Verb · /rɪˈfrɪdʒəreɪt/ · to make or keep something cold, especially food or drink, to preserve it

Definition

To refrigerate means to subject something to cold — to lower its temperature artificially in order to preserve it, slow bacterial growth, or keep it fresh. You refrigerate food to extend its shelf life. You refrigerate vaccines to maintain their potency. In industrial processes, you refrigerate machinery to prevent overheating. The word implies a controlled, deliberate application of cold for a specific purpose.

Origin

From Latin refrigerare — re- (again, thoroughly) + frigus (cold). Frigus is also the root of frigid and frigorific. To refrigerate is literally to make thoroughly cold. The word entered English in the 16th century, long before mechanical refrigerators existed — it initially described any process of cooling. The household appliance took its name from the verb, not the other way round.