defer

defer · verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromdifferō
2. Old French · derived fromdifferer
3. Middle English · inherited fromdifferren“to postpone”
4. English todaydefer

Originally a variant of (and hence a doublet of) differ; from Middle English differren (“to postpone”), from Old French differer, from Latin differō. Doublet of differ and dilate. See also infer, collate and confer, delate and defer, relate and refer as well as prelate and prefer among others.

defer · verb²

1. Latin · derived fromdēferō
2. Middle French · derived fromdéférer
3. Middle English · inherited fromdifferren“to refer for judgement”
4. English todaydefer

From late Middle English differren (“to refer for judgement”), from Middle French déférer, from Latin dēferō. Doublet of delate. See also infer, collate and confer, relate and refer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.

Words from the same roots