English
reference
Reference comes from Middle French référence, from Medieval Latin referentia, from Latin referō ‘to carry back’, from re- + ferō ‘to 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’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘to bear, carry’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreferō‘to carry back; to return, reply’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreferēns‘returning’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500referentia
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600référence
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606–1607reference
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’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘to bear, carry’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreferō‘to carry back; to return, reply’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreferēns‘returning’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500referentia
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600référence
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606–1607reference
Earliest quotation: c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra: “Y’are falne into a Princely hand, feare nothing, /…”
Formed from refer + -ence
Latin referō ‘to carry back; report’
Old French referer ‘to tell’
Middle English referren
English refer
The story
From Middle French référence, from Medieval Latin referentia, nominative neuter plural of referēns, present participle of referō (“return, reply”, literally “carry back”). Morphologically refer + -ence.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, broad, fortune, bread, bearing, burden, barn, barrel, fury, baron, 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, deference, differentiator, deferential, 70 more
through Latin ferō ‘bear, carry’
different, offer, translation, transfer, extraordinary, difference, suffer, frustration, translate, strangely, differ, fertility, extravagant, fertile, frustrate, elated, infra, confer, extraneous, fertilization, ablation, infer, elation, collation, defer, strangeness, dilate, collate, ablative, fertilize, oblate, estrange, efferent, 81 more
through Medieval Latin referō ‘return, reply’
Today it means
noun A relationship or relation (to something).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / reference