confer
verbUK /kənˈfɜː/ · CA, US /kənˈfɜɹ/
Etymology From Early Modern English conferre, from Middle French conférer, from Old French conferer, from Latin cōnferō. Compare Dutch confereren, German konferieren, Danish konferere, Swedish konferera. Doublet of collate. See also infer, relate and refer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.
1
To grant as a possession; to bestow.
- The college has conferred an honorary degree upon the visiting Prime Minister.
- Nor shall I count in hainous to enjoy The public marks of honour and reward Conferr'd upon me[…]1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes:
4 more examples
- Abel tried to refuse the honor thus unexpectedly conferred upon him, but it was no use. He had been made a deacon, and a deacon he must remain.1850, T. S. Arthur, “Deacon Smith and his Violin”, in Sketches of Life and Character, Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 76:
- Referring to the "hero of the day," No. 92220, Mr. Hanks acceded that she was not of the Great Western breed, but they had done their best to make up for that by "dollying her up in good old Western colours and conferring upon her the finest honour we can—the halo or crown of Swindon, the copper top to her chimney."1960 May 23, “Evening Star”, in Railway Magazine, page 307, referring to a new steam locomotive, the last built for British Railways:
- The special immunities that are conferred on MPs were framed with the essential purpose of allowing them to speak freely in parliament.2010 February 7, Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer:
- The mere existence of a dictionary of a certain variety of English does not automatically confer acceptance of that variety.2014, James Lambert, “Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis”, in World Englishes, page 114:
2
To talk together, to consult, discuss; to collogue.
- They were in a huddle, conferring about something.
- Local buttons popped when Henry Kissinger visited Little Rock last month to confer with Fulbright on the Middle East oil talks.1974 March 25, “A Traveler's Perils”, in Time:
3
Obsolete To compare.
- The Newe Testament ... Conferred diligently with the Greke, and best approued translations.1557 (book title)
- Confer thine estate with others […]. Be content and rest satisfied, for thou art well in respect to others […].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:
1 more example
- If we confer these observations with others of the like nature, we may find cause to rectify the general opinion.1661, Robert Boyle, The Second Essay, of Unsucceeding Experiments:
4
Obsolete To bring together; to collect, gather.
5
Obsolete To contribute; to conduce.
- The closeness and compactness of the parts resting together doth much confer to the strength of the union.1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica:
- Derived terms
- agreement conferring jurisdiction, conferee, conferment, conferrable, conferral, conferrer, reconfer, unconferred
- Related terms
- cf, cf., collate, collation, conference