Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
confer - 5 dictionary results

con⋅fer

  [kuhn-fur] verb, -ferred, -fer⋅ring.
Use confer in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to consult together; compare opinions; carry on a discussion or deliberation.
–verb (used with object)
2. to bestow upon as a gift, favor, honor, etc.: to confer a degree on a graduate.
3. Obsolete. to compare.
Origin:
1400–50 for earlier sense “to summon”; 1520–30 for current senses; late ME conferen < L conferre to bring together, compare, consult with, equiv. to con- con- + ferre to carry, bear 1

Related forms:
con⋅fer⋅ment, noun
con⋅fer⋅ra⋅ble, adjective
con⋅fer⋅rer, noun

Synonyms:
1. See consult. 2. See give.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To confer
con·fer   (kən-fûr')   
v.   con·ferred, con·fer·ring, con·fers

v.   tr.
  1. To bestow (an honor, for example): conferred a medal on the hero; conferred an honorary degree on her.
  2. To invest with (a characteristic, for example): a carefully worded statement that conferred an aura of credibility.
v.   intr.
To meet in order to deliberate together or compare views; consult: conferred with her attorney.

[Latin cōnferre : com-, com- + ferre, to bring; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
con·fer'ment, con·fer'ral n., con·fer'ra·ble adj., con·fer'rer n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Confer

Con*fer"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Conferred; p. pr. & vb. n. Conferring.] [L. conferre to bring together, contribute, consult; con- + ferre to bear: cf. F. conf['e]rer. See 1st Bear.]

1. To bring together for comparison; to compare. [Obs.]

If we confer these observations with others of the like nature, we may find cause to rectify the general opinion. --Boyle.

2. To grant as a possession; to bestow.

The public marks of honor and reward Conferred upon me. --Milton.

3. To contribute; to conduce. [Obs.]

The closeness and compactness of the parts resting together doth much confer to the strength of the union. --Glanvill.

Confer

Con*fer"\, v. i. To have discourse; to consult; to compare views; to deliberate.

Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered. --Acts xxv. 12.

You shall hear us confer of this. --Shak.

Syn: To counsel; advise; discourse; converse.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : confer
Spanish: consultar (con),
German: sich beraten,
Japanese: 打ち合わせる
More Translations »

confer 
1533, from L. conferre "to bring together, compare," from com- "together" + ferre "to bear" (see infer). Sense of "taking counsel" led to conference (1555). The meaning "compare" (common 1530-1650) is largely obsolete, but the abbreviation cf. is still used in this sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see confer on Thesaurus | Reference
>