defer 2. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

defer²

SYLLABICATION:	de·fer
PRONUNCIATION:	d-fûr
VERB:	Inflected forms: de·ferred, de·fer·ring, de·fers
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	To submit to the opinion, wishes, or decision of another through respect or in recognition of his or her authority, knowledge, or judgment. See synonyms at yield.
TRANSITIVE VERB:	To commit or entrust to another.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English deferen, from Old French deferer, from Latin dferre, to carry away, refer to : d-, de- + ferre, to carry; see bher-¹ in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	de·ferrer —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.