Dictionary

confer

see also: Confer

Etymology

From Early Modern English conferre, from , from , from .

Pronunciation

Verb

confer (third-person singular simple present confers, present participle conferring, simple past and past participle conferred)

(transitive) To grant as a possession; to bestow. [from 16th c.]
The college has conferred an honorary degree upon the visiting Prime Minister.
Synonyms: afford
- 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes:
  Nor shall I count in hainous to enjoy
  The public marks of honour and reward
  Conferr'd upon me […]
(intransitive) To talk together, to consult, discuss; to deliberate. [from 16th c.]
They were in a huddle, conferring about something.
(obsolete) To compare. [16th–18th c.]
- 1557 (book title):
  The Newe Testament ... Conferred diligently with the Greke, and best approued translations.
- 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC ↗, partition II, section 3, member 1, subsection i:
  Confer thine estate with others […]. Be content and rest satisfied, for thou art well in respect to others […].
- 1661, Robert Boyle, The Second Essay, of Unsucceeding Experiments:
  If we confer these observations with others of the like nature, we may find cause to rectify the general opinion.
(obsolete, transitive) To bring together; to collect, gather. [16th–17th c.]
(obsolete) To contribute; to conduce. [16th–18th c.]
- 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica:
  The closeness and compactness of the parts resting together doth much confer to the strength of the union.

Related terms

Translations

Translations

Confer

Proper noun

This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002