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   Re·fine

   /rəˈfīn/

   

   verb

   • 1. remove impurities or unwanted elements from (a substance), typically as part of an industrial process: "sugar was refined by boiling it in huge iron vats" Similar purifyclarifyclearcleansestrainsiftfilterrarefydistillconcentrateprocesstreattechnical:rectifyOpposite adulterate
   • ▪ improve (something) by making small changes, in particular make (an idea, theory, or method) more subtle and accurate: "ease of access to computers has refined analysis and presentation of data" Similar improveperfectpolish (up)honetemperfine-tuneelaboratetouch upreviseeditcopyeditcompletefinishfinish offput the final/finishing touches tocrownconsummateinformal:tweakOpposite lose

   Word Origin late 16th century: from re- ‘again’ + the verb fine1, influenced by French raffiner.

   Derivatives

   • 1. refiner noun

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • R

     1

   • E

     1

   • F

     4

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

   • E

     1

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