Something New

[Eva Elisabeth]

I forgot to mention (just don't like such things half done) how refrigeration generally works: it's the process of removing heat from an enclosed space, or from a substance, to lower its temperature. A refrigerator uses the evaporation of a liquid (refrigerant) to absorb heat, which evaporates at an extremely low temperature, creating freezing temperatures inside the refrigerator. It's based on the following physics: - a liquid is rapidly vaporized (through compression) - the quickly expanding vapor requires kinetic energy and draws the energy needed from the immediate area - which loses energy and becomes cooler. Cooling caused by the rapid expansion of gases is the primary means of refrigeration today.
This was William Cullen's design and drawing:
   
As for coining the term - it derives, of course, from Latin, the Latin word "refrigerium" literally means ‘refreshment’. Since mourning traditions have often been discussed here: In ancient Rome, the word refrigerium referred specifically to a commemorative meal for the dead consumed in a graveyard. These meals were held on the day of burial, then again on the ninth day after the funeral, and annually thereafter.