Refines

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To improve the quality of a material or concept by removing imperfections and enhancing precision through careful methods
2. To enhance an idea, skill, or substance by eliminating flaws and adding clarity through meticulous processes
3. To make an already existing item or thought better by systematically removing defects and adding finesse through detailed techniques

Etymology: "Refines" is the third-person singular present form of "refine", so the history belongs to the verb itself. The core of "refine" is the adjective "fine", meaning pure or free from dross, joined to the prefix "re-", which here gives the sense of making something fine again or further. The word passed into Middle English from Old French, where it had been formed from the Latin "re-" and "fin" roots, and English then kept the prefix and base together in its original shape. The remarkable thing is how literal the verb began. To refine metal was to melt it so that the impurities separated out and the pure substance remained. The same process of driving out what is coarse or mixed was then applied to sugar, oil and other materials, and eventually to manners, language and taste. A refined person is someone whose rough edges have been worked away in the same way that ore once yielded up its gold.

Synonyms: purifies, improves, clarifies, enhances, polishes

Antonyms: corrupts, taints, impurifies, deteriorates, degrades