refrain

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To stop yourself from doing something.

   Please refrain from smoking inside the building.

2. 2
   noun

   A line or group of lines repeated after each verse of a song or poem.

   Everyone joined in singing the refrain of the famous song.

From French refrain, from the Old French verb refraindre (“to break off, repeat”), from Latin re- (“back, again”) + frangō (“break”); compare Occitan refranhs (“a refrain”), refranher (“to repeat”). See refract and the verb refrain.

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