differo

Latin

Etymology

From dis- (“apart”) +‎ ferō (“carry, bear”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈdif.fe.roː/, [ˈd̪ɪfːɛroː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈdif.fe.ro/, [ˈd̪ifːero]

Verb

differō (present infinitive differre, perfect active distulī, supine dīlātum); third conjugation, irregular

1. (transitive) to carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate

   Synonyms: diffundō, fundō, effundō, confundō, dēfundō, dissipō, indūcō, sternō

2. (transitive, figuratively) to distract, disquiet or disturb someone; confound

   Synonyms: disturbō, turbō, perturbō, sollicitō, agitō

3. (transitive, figuratively) to spread, publish, circulate, divulge; cry down, defame
4. (transitive, figuratively) to defer, put off, protract, delay, adjourn

   Synonyms: moror, dētineō, cūnctor, retardō, tardō, dubitō, prōtrahō, trahō

   Antonyms: ruō, currō, accurrō, trepidō, festīnō, prōvolō, properō, corripiō, affluō, mātūrō

   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Proverbs.13.12:

     Spēs quae differtur adflīgit animam: lignum vītae dēsīderium veniēns.

     Hope that is deferred afflicteth the soul: desire when it cometh, is a tree of life. (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.: 1752 CE)

5. (intransitive) to be different, differ, vary

   Synonyms: distō, dissideō, abhorreō

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.1:

     Hī omnēs linguā, īnstitūtīs, lēgibus inter sē differunt.

     These all differ from each other in language, customs, and laws.

Conjugation

Irregular, but resembling the third conjugation. The principal parts come from several different words originally.

Conjugation of differō (third conjugation, irregular, suppletive)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	differō	differs	differt	differimus	differtis	differunt
	imperfect	differēbam	differēbās	differēbat	differēbāmus	differēbātis	differēbant
	future	differam	differēs	differet	differēmus	differētis	different
	perfect	distulī	distulistī	distulit	distulimus	distulistis	distulērunt, distulēre
	pluperfect	distuleram	distulerās	distulerat	distulerāmus	distulerātis	distulerant
	future perfect	distulerō	distuleris	distulerit	distulerimus	distuleritis	distulerint
passive	present	differor	differris, differre	differtur	differimur	differiminī	differuntur
	imperfect	differēbar	differēbāris, differēbāre	differēbātur	differēbāmur	differēbāminī	differēbantur
	future	differar	differēris, differēre	differētur	differēmur	differēminī	differentur
	perfect	dīlātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	dīlātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	dīlātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	differam	differās	differat	differāmus	differātis	differant
	imperfect	differrem	differrēs	differret	differrēmus	differrētis	differrent
	perfect	distulerim	distulerīs	distulerit	distulerīmus	distulerītis	distulerint
	pluperfect	distulissem	distulissēs	distulisset	distulissēmus	distulissētis	distulissent
passive	present	differar	differāris, differāre	differātur	differāmur	differāminī	differantur
	imperfect	differrer	differrēris, differrēre	differrētur	differrēmur	differrēminī	differrentur
	perfect	dīlātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	dīlātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	differ	—	—	differte	—
	future	—	differtō	differtō	—	differtōte	differuntō
passive	present	—	differre	—	—	differiminī	—
	future	—	differtor	differtor	—	—	differuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		differre	distulisse	dīlātūrum esse	differrī	dīlātum esse	dīlātum īrī
participles		differēns	—	dīlātūrus	—	dīlātus	differendus, differundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		differendī	differendō	differendum	differendō	dīlātum	dīlātū

Derived terms

• differēns
• differenter
• differentia
• differitās
• dīlātiō
• dīlātō
• dīlātor
• dīlātōrius
• dīlātūra
• dīlātus

 

Related terms

Related terms

• adferō / afferō
• auferō
• circumferō
• cōnferō
• dēferō
• dīlātātiō
• dīlātātor
• efferō
• ferō
• īnferō
• interferō
• intrōferō
• offerō
• perferō
• postferō
• praeferō
• praeterferor
• prōferō
• referō
• sufferō
• trānsferō

Descendants

• Inherited:
  • Old Occitan: deferir
• Borrowed:
  • → Catalan: diferir
  • → English: differ, defer, dilate
  • → French: différer
  • → Italian: differire
  • → Piedmontese: difer
  • → Portuguese: diferir
  • → Romanian: diferi
  • → Spanish: diferir

References

• “differo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “differo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• differo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the wind spread the conflagration: ventus ignem distulit (B. G. 5. 43)
    
  • to put off till another time; to postpone: aliquid in aliud tempus, in posterum differre
    
  • to put off from one day to another: diem ex die ducere, differre
    
  • to differ qualitatively not quantitatively: genere, non numero or magnitudine differre
    
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “differre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 3: D–F, page 73