• vi. 推迟；延期；服从
• vt. 使推迟；使延期
• n. (Defer)人名；(法)德费

de-, 分开，散开。-fer, 拿，带，词源同bring, infer. 即分散开，引申义推迟，延迟。

de-, 向下，离开。-fer, 拿，带，词源同bring, infer. 即拿走，转移，词义引申为转交，遵从，顺从。

defer

defer: English has two distinct verbs defer. The one meaning ‘delay’ [14] is ultimately the same words as differ. It comes via Old French differer from Latin differre ‘carry apart, delay’, a compound verb formed from the prefix dis- ‘apart’ and ferre ‘carry’ (related to English bear). The Latin verb’s past participle, dīlātus, is the source of English dilatory [15]. Defer ‘submit’ [15] comes via Old French deferer from Latin dēferre ‘carry away’, a compound verb formed from the prefix dē- ‘away’ and ferre.

The notion of submission seems to have arisen from an earlier application to referring, or ‘carrying’, a matter to someone else.
=> bear, dilatory

defer (v.1)

"to delay," late 14c., differren, deferren, from Old French differer (14c.), from Latin differre "carry apart, scatter, disperse;" also "be different, differ;" also "defer, put off, postpone," (see differ). Etymologically identical with differ; the spelling and pronunciation differentiated from 15c., perhaps partly by association of this word with delay.

defer (v.2)

"yield," mid-15c., from Middle French déférer (14c.) "to yield, comply," from Latin deferre "carry away, transfer, grant," from de- "down, away" (see de-) + ferre "carry" (see infer). Main modern sense is from meaning "refer (a matter) to someone," which also was in Latin.

1. We wish to defer our decision until next week.

我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定.

来自《简明英汉词典》

2. I shall defer replying till I hear from home.

我将等接到家信以后再给你答复.

来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3. We will defer to whatever the committee decides.

我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定.

来自《简明英汉词典》

4. Let's defer the decision for a few weeks.

咱们延缓几个礼拜再做决定吧.

来自《简明英汉词典》

5. We all defer to him in these matters.

在这类事情上我们都听他的.

来自《简明英汉词典》