deferred
UK[dɪˈfɜːd]US[dɪˈfɜːrd]
adj
postponed or delayed until a later time.
v
(past tense and past participle of defer) to put off to a future time; postpone.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
fer
ed
de
away
fer
carry, bear
ed
adjective/verb suffix
Etymology
the word deferred originates from the latin verb deferre, which is a compound of de- ("away") and ferre ("to carry"). the literal sense was "to carry down or away." this evolved into the legal and general sense of "to refer to another's judgment" and later "to put off to a later time." the past participle form deferred entered english in the late 15th century, carrying the meaning of something that has been "carried away" to a future point. the semantic logic connects the physical act of carrying something away to a different place with the abstract concept of moving an action or event to a different, later time.
Analysis
Structure: de (away) + fer (carry, bear) + ed (adjective/verb suffix)
- de: a latin prefix meaning "away, off, down, completely."
- fer: from latin ferre, meaning "to carry, to bear."
- ed: an english suffix used to form the past tense and past participle of regular verbs, and adjectives from nouns or verbs.
Examples
the committee decided on a deferred payment plan for the project.
his military service was deferred until he finished his degree.
all deferred maintenance on the building must be addressed this year.