English
differ
Differ comes from Old French differer ‘to differ’, from Latin differō ‘carry apart, put off, defer’, 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‘carry, bear’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō‘carry apart, put off, defer’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400differer‘to differ’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500differren‘to postpone or defer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1859differ
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‘carry, bear’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō‘carry apart, put off, defer’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400differer‘to differ’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500differren‘to postpone or defer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1859differ
Earliest quotation: 1859, Charles Darwin: “When we look to the individuals of the same…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, broad, bread, fortune, burden, bearing, barrel, prefer, barn, bore, fury, baron, breeze, bark, broom, barrow, embargo, fret, berth, ferret, furtive, insufferable, bahar, bier, birr, barrette, bairn, burnish, proffer, 120 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to be carrying’
bear, borne, phosphate, phosphorus, euphoria, dysphoria, semaphore, phosphine, 98 more
through Proto-Italic *ferō ‘to carry, bear’
suffering, infertility, infertile, 74 more
through Latin ferō ‘carry, bear’
relative, translation, reference, transfer, relation, offer, relate, extraordinary, frustration, translate, suffer, strangely, referendum, fertility, extravagant, referee, fertile, frustrate, elated, infra, extraneous, ablation, fertilization, confer, elation, strangeness, infer, collation, deference, collate, ablative, fertilize, oblate, estrange, deferential, efferent, indifferently, 77 more
through Latin differō ‘carry apart, put off, defer’
through Middle English differren ‘to postpone or defer’
Today it means
verb Not to have the same traits or characteristics; to be unalike or distinct.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / differ