English
defer
Defer comes from Middle English differren ‘to postpone’, from Old French differer ‘to differ’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘carry, bear’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400differer‘to differ’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500differren‘to postpone’
- Englishearliest quotation 1591defer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘carry, bear’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400differer‘to differ’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500differren‘to postpone’
- Englishearliest quotation 1591defer
Earliest quotation: 1591, William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “Deferre the ſpoile of the Citie vntill night”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, broad, bread, fortune, bearing, barrel, barn, burden, bore, fury, baron, breeze, bark, prefer, broom, barrow, embargo, fret, berth, furtive, ferret, insufferable, bahar, bier, birr, barrette, bairn, burnish, proffer, 115 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to be carrying’
bear, borne, phosphate, phosphorus, euphoria, dysphoria, semaphore, phosphine, 93 more
through Proto-Italic *ferō ‘to carry, bear’
suffering, infertility, infertile, indifferently, 69 more
through Latin ferō ‘carry, bear’
relative, offer, translation, extraordinary, relation, transfer, relate, reference, frustration, translate, suffer, differently, strangely, extravagant, fertility, referendum, fertile, indifferent, referee, frustrate, elated, infra, extraneous, ablation, fertilization, elation, strangeness, confer, collation, infer, collate, ablative, differentially, fertilize, oblate, estrange, differentiable, differentiator, efferent, 73 more
through Latin differō ‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter,…’
different, difference, dilate, 43 more
through Old French differer ‘to differ’
through Middle English differren ‘to postpone’
Another origin of defer
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘bear, carry’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēferō‘to bear, carry or bring down or away’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600déférer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500differren‘to refer for judgement’
- Englishtodaydefer
Today it means
verb To delay or postpone.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / defer