transfer

Transfer is an excellent example of how a little knowledge of Latin can go a long way.

Transfer entered English around 1350–40. It ultimately derives from the Latin verb trānsferre, which principally meant “to carry or bring across.” The verb is composed of two parts. The first part is trāns-, a prefix based on the adverb and preposition trāns, meaning “across, beyond, through.” The second part is ferre, a verb meaning “to bear, carry,” among many other senses. The English verb bear, as in “bearing a load,” is actually an etymological cousin to the Latin ferre.

Trāns- and ferre appear in many other English words. Let’s start with ferre. Prefer comes from the Latin praeferre, “to bear or set before” (learn more at pre–, preference). Refer comes from the Latin referre, “to bring back” (re–, reference). Infer comes from inferre, “to bring in” (in–, inference). This next origin may put a new spin on the word for you: suffer comes from sufferre, literally “to bear under,” with suf- a variant of sub- “under.” Defer and deference ultimately comes from—slight curveball here—differre, “to bear apart, carry away.” Differre is also the source of differ, different, and difference.

Now for trāns-. Trāns– was incredibly productive in Latin. That means it was used to produce many new words, especially verbs (and their related forms) that have made their way into English, including:

• transact
• transcend
• transcribe
• transfigure
• transfix
• transform
• transfuse
• transmit
• transpire

Does knowing that trāns- means “across, beyond, through” shed any new light on what these words mean?

Some other common words directly derived from Latin and featuring trāns- are transit, translucent, and transparent.

Trāns-, naturalized as trans–, is also very productive in English. Some familiar examples include transconintental, trans-fat, and transgender.

Dig deeper 

Translate is another word related to transfer—and not just because they both feature the trans- prefix.

Now, English has irregular verbs: saw is the past tense of see, for instance, and bought is the past tense of buy. Latin had irregular verbs, too, as do many other languages. Without getting too technical, the verb ferre (meaning, if you’ll recall, “to carry”) formed past tenses based on tulī (“I carried”), and formed part participles based on lātus. That means translate is derived from the past participle form of transfer: trānslātus, literally “carried across,” as in a text that has been copied over.

Isn’t it wild how so many words are related? Yep, relate—along with relationship, relation, and many other words—comes from the past participle form of referre (“to carry back,” source of refer), which was relātus.

We are not done with Latin verb ferre (“to bear, carry”) yet! The verb is also the source of –fer, a combining form meaning “that which carries” the thing specified by the initial element, used in the formation of compound words—like an aquifer carries water (the Latin aqua means “water”). Other familiar examples include conifer and crucifer.

The form -fer is closely related to -ferous, a combining form meaning “bearing,” “producing,” “yielding,” “containing,” and “conveying,” also used in the formation of compound words, especially in science. There are many examples, including:

• bulbiferous
• carboniferous
• febriferous
• fructiferous
• odoriferous
• pestiferous