REFRA'IN, verb transitive [Latin refaeno; re and fraeno, to curb; fraenum, a rein. See Rein.] To hold back; to restrain; to keep from action. My son - refrain thy foot from their path. Proverbs 1:15. Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by. Genesis 45:1. REFRA'IN, verb intransitive To forbear; to abstain; to keep one's self from action or interference. Refrain from these men and let them alone. Acts 5:38. REFRA'IN, noun The burden of a song; a kind of musical repetition.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI