defer
Meaning
To put off to a later time; postpone.
To yield respectfully in judgment or opinion to another.
Structure
Usage
The committee decided to defer the vote until the next meeting.
I defer to your greater experience in this matter.
You may defer your student loan payments while you are in school.
Etymology
The verb 'defer' originates from the Latin differre, meaning "to carry apart, scatter, postpone, delay." This Latin word is a compound of the prefix dis- (apart, in different directions) and the verb ferre (to carry). The sense of "postponing" evolved from the literal idea of carrying an action away to a later time. The distinct meaning of "yielding respectfully" developed in Middle English from a different Latin root, deferre (to bring down, offer, refer), which shares the same de- (down) and ferre (to carry) components, metaphorically conveying the act of carrying one's judgment down to or before another.
Analysis
- de: A Latin prefix meaning "down, away, from, off." - fer: A Latin root from the verb ferre, meaning "to carry, to bear, to bring."