Where does “defer” come from?
Defer comes from Middle English differren, from Old French differer, from Latin differo, composed of the prefix dis- and the root bʰer- meaning to carry or bear.
defer (English): To delay or postpone; After winning the opening...
Definitions
- To delay or postpone; After winning the opening...
Ancestry of “defer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | differren | To postpone or defer; to do later than was... |
| 2 | Middle French | déférer | — |
| 3 | Latin | dēferō | to bear, carry or bring down or away; convey; take, remove |
| 4 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 5 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 6 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 7 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |