'refrigerator' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'refrigerare,' where 're-' meant 'again' or 'back' and 'frigere' (from 'frīgēre') meant 'to be cold' or 'to make cold'.

'refrigerator' changed from French 'réfrigérateur' (coined in the 19th century) and eventually became the modern English word 'refrigerator'.

Initially it meant 'something that makes or causes cold' (from the verb 'to make cold'), and over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'an appliance or compartment for keeping things cold.'