Where does “refer” come from?

Refer comes from Middle English referren, from Old French referer, from Latin referre, formed from the prefix re- and the root bʰer- meaning to carry or bear.

refer (English): To direct the attention of; To submit to for...

Definitions

  1. To direct the attention of; To submit to for...

Ancestry of “refer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishreferren—
2Old Frenchrefererto tell; to talk about; to speak of
3Latinreferrepresent active infinitive of referō; to refer
4Latinferrepresent active infinitive of ferō; bring; carry
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰēr-shiny, light brown

Words derived from “refer”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- →Every word from Latin ferre →Every word from Latin referre →