Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: refutare, from -futare 'to hit'

refute

 verb
     
re‧fute [transitive] formal
1 to prove that a statement or idea is not correct [= rebut]
refute a hypothesis/a claim/an idea etc
an attempt to refute Darwin's theories
2 to say that a statement is wrong or unfair [= deny]
refute an allegation/a suggestion etc
She refuted any allegations of malpractice.
—refutable adjective
—refutation noun [uncountable and countable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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