The Spanish word 'refrigerio' (meaning 'refreshment' or 'snack') comes from the Latin word 'refrigerium' meaning 'refreshment' or 'cooling'. The Latin word was formed by combining three elements: the prefix 're-' (meaning 'again' or 'back'), the root 'frigus' (meaning 'cold'), and the suffix '-arium' (used to form words referring to places or things for a particular purpose). So literally, it referred to something that makes you cold again or provides cooling refreshment.

Over time, the meaning evolved in Spanish from specifically referring to cooling refreshment to any kind of refreshment or light snack, though you can still see the connection to the original concept of something refreshing.

This word shares its roots with several common Spanish words including 'frío' (cold), 'refrescar' (to refresh), and 'refrigerador' (refrigerator). All these words contain the Latin root 'frigus' meaning 'cold'. The connection between these words is quite clear - they all relate to cooling or coldness in some way.

English speakers can easily connect 'refrigerio' to several familiar English words. Most obviously, it's related to 'refrigerator' and 'refrigerate', which share the same Latin elements (re- + frigus). It's also related to 'frigid' (extremely cold) and even 'fridge', the shortened form of 'refrigerator'. Understanding these connections can help remember that 'refrigerio' is about refreshment, originally connected to the idea of cooling.