English
refute
Refute comes from Latin refūtō ‘refute, repudiate’, and goes back to *futo ‘to beat’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*futo‘to beat’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErefūtō‘refute, repudiate’
- Englishearliest quotation 1791refute
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*futo‘to beat’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErefūtō‘refute, repudiate’
- Englishearliest quotation 1791refute
Earliest quotation: 1791, James Boswell, The life of Samuel Johnson: “After we came out of the church, we stood…”
Linked words
through Latin refūtō ‘refute, repudiate’
Today it means
verb To prove (something) to be false or incorrect.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin *futo / refute