referre

Referre is a Latin verb in the fero family, commonly translated as “to bring back,” “to report,” or “to refer.” It appears in classical and late Latin with a range of related meanings. The standard principal parts are refero, referre, rettuli, relatum. The verb is formed from the prefix re- meaning “back” plus ferre, “to bear,” and is thus etymologically linked to many English derivatives.

Meanings and usage: Primary senses include returning something to its owner or place; reporting or recounting information to someone; and indicating reference to a source or matter. In political or legal Latin, referre is used for transferring a question to a higher authority or for referring a case to a decision. In narrative and discourse, it can mean to relate or recount what has been said or done. The construction often involves directing attention to a source, a person, or a decision.

Grammatical note: As a member of the fero family, referre follows patterns akin to other compounds of fero. The present active indicative forms include refero, referis, refert, referimus, referitis, referunt; the perfect is rettuli, and the supine or participle is relatum. The infinitive is referre.

Derivatives in English: The verb gave rise to refer, reference, referendum, and referral, among others. The root also yields terms such as referent and referential, which retain the sense of directing attention to a source, a term, or a concept. In modern usage, to refer to something preserves the core senses of mentioning, citing, or routing to another authority.