refrain
verb (refrain, refrains, refrained, refraining); noun (a refrain, refrains)
Everyday
- (formal) To stop yourself from doing something: please refrain from talking. tree →
- (noun) The part of a song or poem that is repeated, the chorus. tree →
- (noun) A comment or complaint that people keep repeating. tree →
In the lessons
In formal signs and notices: «Please refrain from eating in the library.» In music and poetry lessons, the refrain is the repeated lines. Phrases: refrain from doing, a familiar refrain.
Examples
- Please refrain from running in the corridors. tree →
- Passengers must refrain from smoking. tree →
- Everyone joined in the refrain of the song. tree →
- The poem has a refrain at the end of each verse. tree →
- I refrained from laughing at his joke. tree →
- «Are we there yet?» was the children's constant refrain. tree →
- Every verse ended with this refrain,-- tree →
Note
The verb takes «from» + -ing: refrain from shouting. It is formal; in ordinary talk say «stop» or «don't». The noun refrain is like a chorus.
In Jewish tradition
In Psalm 119 the writer holds back his feet from every evil way to keep God's word. In Job, princes refrain from talking in respect. In Isaiah, the people ask whether God will hold Himself back.
Interpretation. Joseph's holding back his tears and then breaking down is read as a moment of great feeling before he reveals who he is. Psalm 119 is read as self-control that comes from loving God's word.
Examples
- And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said: 'Set on bread.' (Torah GEN.43.31, JPS 1917) tree →
- Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: 'Cause every man to go out from me.' And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. (Torah GEN.45.1, JPS 1917) tree →
- Wilt Thou refrain Thyself for these things, O LORD? (Prophets ISA.64.11, JPS 1917) tree →
- The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth; (Writings JOB.29.9, JPS 1917) tree →
- I have refrained my feet from every evil way, in order that I might observe Thy word. (Writings PSA.119.101, JPS 1917) tree →
Note
The verb takes «from» + -ing: refrain from shouting. It is formal; in ordinary talk say «stop» or «don't». The noun refrain is like a chorus.
Early Modern English
Meaning
To stop yourself from doing something; to hold back; in old usage also used with "himself". tree →
Then and now
Today we say "refrain from" and it is formal; the reflexive form "refrained himself" and "could not refrain himself" is old, and the noun "refrain" (a repeated line) is today's sense.
Examples
- And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said: 'Set on bread.' (Torah GEN.43.31, JPS 1917) tree →
- Every verse ended with this refrain,-- (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen) tree →
- Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: 'Cause every man to go out from me.' And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. (Torah GEN.45.1, JPS 1917) tree →
Note
Today: stop yourself; hold back.
On Mova
- Trees and pragmatics of «refrain» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «refrain» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
- Trees and pragmatics of «refrain» in the Judaism dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «refrain» in the Judaism dictionary on Mova free.
- Trees and pragmatics of «refrain» in the Early Modern English dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «refrain» in the Early Modern English dictionary on Mova free.
This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/refrain/