déférer

Forms

déférer^[1] Old French deferrier (1282) and deferer.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dēferō (“to carry down, to present, to grant, to denounce”),^[2][3][5] first as deferrier (1282).^[2][3] The Latin verb is formed from dē- “down from” and ferō (“to carry”);^[3][6] in Late Latin it also meant “to do honour”.^[5][7] Bloch and Wartburg date the borrowing to the 14th century, in Bersuire.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gouvernement des rois (1282) deferrier de something à someone means “to leave the matter to someone”: Ainz doit l'en mult deferrier de lor norriçon au jugement de lor mestre “rather one must leave their upbringing to the judgment of their master”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The old construction did not survive, and the modern senses grew up in the 16th and 17th centuries.^[3] In law it meant “to refer a case to a court” (Calvin, 1541), whence “to bring an accused person before a court”, today its main use; the senses “to denounce to an authority” (Amyot, 1559) and “to confer an honour or dignity” (1541) have not lasted.^[2][3][6]

The idea of honour lives on in the intransitive déférer à (Amyot, 1559) “to yield out of respect”.^[2][3] The adjective déférent (1690), with the variant déférant in the Académie from 1694, and the noun déférence belong to this sense.^[2][3][7] English defer “to yield” was borrowed from Old French in the mid-15th century.^[4]

Timeline

• 1282 – Deferrier in the Gouvernement des rois.^[2]
• 14th century – Déférence appears (Eustache Deschamps).^[7]
• mid-15th century – English borrows it as defer “yield”.^[4]
• 1541 – Calvin uses it for referring a case to a court and for conferring an honour.^[2][8]
• 1559 – Amyot uses deferer à “to show respect to” and the sense “to accuse”.^[2][3]
• 1690 – Furetière records the adjective deferent “respectful”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (law, transitive) To refer a case to the competent court, or to bring an accused person before it: déférer un suspect à la justice.^[9][2][6]
2. (law) Déférer le serment à quelqu’un: to call on someone to take an oath in support of what they claim.^[2][8]
3. (archaic, transitive) To grant or confer a dignity, title or command.^[9][1]
4. (intransitive) Déférer à: to yield to someone or to their wishes out of respect: Elle déféra à l’avis de son père.^[9][2]

Word family

• déférence

Related words

• déférent
• conférer
• référer
• Latin dēferō
• English defer

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert