Where does “differ” come from?
Differ 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.
differ (English): Not to have the same traits or characteristics;...
Definitions
- Not to have the same traits or characteristics;...
Ancestry of “differ”, step by step
differ traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English differren
| 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 |
via French différer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | différer | to differ |
| 2 | German | Differenz | difference |
| 3 | Italian | differire | to defer, to postpone; to differ, to be different |
| 4 | Latin | differre | present active infinitive of differō |
| 5 | Latin | differo | I carry different ways, spread, scatter,... |
| 6 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 7 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 8 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via English diff
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | diff | Abbreviation of difference; Any program which... |