English
deference
Deference comes from French déférer ‘to bring (before)’, from Latin ferō ‘bear, carry’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-.
- 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 CEdēferōas deferre‘to bear, carry or bring down or away’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdéférer‘to bring (before)’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentdéférence
- Englishearliest quotation 1983deference
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
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‘bear, carry’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēferōas deferre‘to bear, carry or bring down or away’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdéférer‘to bring (before)’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentdéférence
- Englishearliest quotation 1983deference
Earliest quotation: 1983, Kenneth Hale-Wehmann, The Business of Sex and Affection: “Michael in turn benefits from Tom. He loosens up…”
Formed from defer + -ence
Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
…
Latin ferō ‘carry, bear’
Latin differō ‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter,…’
Old French differer ‘to differ’
Middle English differren ‘to postpone’
English defer
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, broad, bread, fortune, bearing, barn, barrel, fury, baron, burden, bark, prefer, bore, breeze, broom, barrow, embargo, berth, fret, insufferable, furtive, ferret, bahar, bier, birr, bairn, burnish, proffer, barrette, 115 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to be carrying’
bear, borne, phosphate, phosphorus, euphoria, dysphoria, semaphore, phosphine, indifferently, 93 more
through Proto-Italic *ferō ‘to carry, bear’
suffering, differently, differentiation, infertility, indifferent, infertile, differentially, differentiable, differentiator, 70 more
through Latin ferō ‘bear, carry’
different, offer, transfer, translation, extraordinary, relative, difference, relation, suffer, relate, frustration, translate, strangely, differ, reference, fertility, extravagant, fertile, referendum, referee, frustrate, elated, infra, confer, fertilization, extraneous, ablation, infer, elation, collation, strangeness, dilate, collate, ablative, fertilize, oblate, estrange, efferent, 79 more
Today it means
noun Great respect.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / deference