Fridge Gained a D That Refrigerator Never Had
A fridge keeps food cold. The shortened form added a letter, which is unusual for an abbreviation.
A fridge is a cooled cabinet for storing food. The spelling is the interesting part: *refrigerator* has no D, but the shortening acquired one because English needs it to keep the G soft. Without it, *frig* would rhyme with *big*. The Frigidaire brand may have helped fix the spelling.
- A cooled food cabinet. *In the fridge.*
- Refrigerator — the full word. *A new refrigerator.*
- Fridge-freezer — a combined unit. *A tall fridge-freezer.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | fridge | An empty fridge. |
| Plural | fridges | Two fridges. |
| Full form | refrigerator | A large refrigerator. |
| Verb | refrigerate | Refrigerate after opening. |
| Related | frigid | A frigid climate. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Put it in the fridge.Everyday.
- The D keeps the G soft.Spelling logic.
- Frigid comes from the same Latin root.*Frigus*, cold.
Shortenings that change spelling
- fridge — from refrigerator, gaining a D
- bike — from bicycle, gaining an E
- mike — from microphone, likewise
- telly — from television, doubling the L
- Reason — English spelling follows sound, not the parent word
A shortening of *refrigerator*, from Latin *refrigerare*, to make cold, from *frigus*, cold. Domestic refrigerators spread from the 1920s.
Why does fridge have a D?
To keep the G soft. Without it the word would be read to rhyme with big.
Are frigid and fridge related?
Yes. Both come from Latin *frigus*, cold, through *refrigerare* and *frigidus* respectively.