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refine
Found in thesaurus: better, ameliorate, meliorate, improve, amend, change, modify, alter, treat, process, purify, sublimate, make pure, distill, attenuate
| Babylon English | Download this dictionary |
refine
v.
purify, filter, distill; cultivate, civilize, improve one's manners or style
| English Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia | Download this dictionary |
Refining
Refining (also perhaps called by the mathematical term affining) is the process of purification of a (1) substance or a (2) form. The term is usually used of a natural resource that is almost in a usable form, but which is more useful in its pure form. For instance, most types of natural petroleum will burn straight from the ground, but it will burn poorly and quickly clog an engine with residues and by-products. The term is broad, and may include more drastic transformations, such as the reduction of ore to metal (for which see Refining (metallurgy)).
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| WordNet 2.0 | Download this dictionary |
refine
Verb
1. improve or perfect by pruning or polishing; "refine one's style of writing"
(synonym) polish, fine-tune, down
(hypernym) better, improve, amend, ameliorate, meliorate
(hyponym) overrefine, over-refine
(derivation) polish, refinement, culture, cultivation, finish
2. make more complex, intricate, or richer; "refine a design or pattern"
(synonym) complicate, rarify, elaborate
(hypernym) change, alter, modify
(hyponym) involve
3. treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition; "refine paper stock"; "refine pig iron"; "refine oil"
(hypernym) process, treat
(derivation) refining, refinement, purification
4. reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; separate from extraneous matter or cleanse from impurities; "refine sugar"
(synonym) rectify
(hypernym) purify, sublimate, make pure, distill
(derivation) refining, refinement, purification
5. attenuate or reduce in vigor, strength, or validity by polishing or purifying; "many valuable nutrients are refined out of the foods in our modern diet"
(hypernym) attenuate
6. make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of; "refine a method of analysis"; "refine the constant in the equation"
(hypernym) change, alter, modify
(derivation) nuance, nicety, shade, subtlety, refinement
| Babylon Spanish-English | Download this dictionary |
refinar
v.
refine; polish
| Babylon Portuguese-English | Download this dictionary |
refinar
v.
defecate, refine; distil; fine, purify; rectify
