refrigerant

[ ri-frij-er-uh nt ]

/ rɪˈfrɪdʒ ər ənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR refrigerant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

refrigerating; cooling.

reducing bodily heat or fever.

noun

a refrigerant agent, as a drug.

a liquid capable of vaporizing at a low temperature, as ammonia, used in mechanical refrigeration.

a cooling substance, as ice or solid carbon dioxide, used in a refrigerator.

RELATED WORDS

container, icebox

Nearby words

Origin of refrigerant

1590–1600; < Latin refrīgerant- (stem of refrīgerāns), present participle of refrīgerāre. See refrigerate, -ant

Related formsnon·re·frig·er·ant, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for refrigerant

Occasionally alcohol or vinegar may be added with advantage to the water, with the view of increasing its refrigerant effects.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
Diuretic, febrifuge, and refrigerant; one half to one ounce.
Cattle and Their Diseases|Robert Jennings
If the inflammation is severe, let the patient use a refrigerant lotion.
One Thousand Secrets of Wise and Rich Men Revealed|C. A. Bogardus
As a refrigerant and diaphoretic in febrile affections; taken late in the evening.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

If the inflammation is severe, take a purgative and use a refrigerant lotion.
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million|Sarah Josepha Hale

British Dictionary definitions for refrigerant

refrigerant

/ (rɪˈfrɪdʒərənt) /

noun

a fluid capable of changes of phase at low temperatures: used as the working fluid of a refrigerator

a cooling substance, such as ice or solid carbon dioxide

med an agent that provides a sensation of coolness or reduces fever

adjective

causing cooling or freezing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for refrigerant

refrigerant

adj.

1590s, originally in medicine; from Latin refrigerans, present participle of refrigerare "make cool or cold" (see refrigeration). As a noun from 1670s.

Medicine definitions for refrigerant

refrigerant

[ rĭ-frĭj′ər-ənt ]

adj.

Cooling or freezing; refrigerating.

Reducing fever.

n.

A substance, such as air, ammonia, water, or carbon dioxide, used to provide cooling either as the working substance of a refrigerator or by direct absorption of heat.

An agent used to reduce fever.

Science definitions for refrigerant

refrigerant

[ rĭ-frĭj′ər-ənt ]

A substance, such as ice or ammonia, used to cool something by absorbing heat from it. Refrigerants are usually substances that evaporate quickly. In the process of evaporation they draw heat from surrounding substances.