English
transfer
Transfer comes from Latin trānsferō ‘to bear across’, from trāns- + ferō ‘to carry’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear’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’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrānsferō‘to bear across’
- Englishearliest quotation 1956transfer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear’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’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrānsferō‘to bear across’
- Englishearliest quotation 1956transfer
Earliest quotation: 1956, D. B. McNeill, The Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway: “All passenger stock is lettered in shaded gold leaf…”
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, bahar, insufferable, bier, birr, barrette, bairn, burnish, proffer, 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, indifferent, infertility, deference, infertile, differentially, differentiable, deferential, differentiator, 70 more
through Latin ferō ‘to bear’
different, difference, offer, relative, reference, relation, relate, extraordinary, suffer, frustration, referendum, differ, fertility, referee, fertile, strangely, extravagant, elated, confer, fertilization, ablation, defer, infer, elation, infra, frustrate, collation, dilate, collate, extraneous, ablative, fertilize, strangeness, oblate, efferent, estrange, 81 more
Today it means
verb To move or pass from one place, person or thing to another.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / transfer