To decline to accept, do, or give something. To show unwillingness to do or accept something offered or requested.
From Old French 'refuser', possibly from Latin 're-' (back) + 'fundere' (to pour) - literally 'to pour back'. The idea being to pour back what is offered rather than accept it.
The word beautifully captures the act of rejection as literally pouring something back to where it came from. There's also the noun 'refuse' (garbage), showing how what one person rejects becomes another person's waste problem!
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