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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Refer

Re-fēr', v. t.

verbtransitive

(14), v. t. [imp. & p. p. REFERRED; p. pr. & vb. n. REFERRING.] [Lat. referre, from re, again, and ferre, to bear; Fr. référer, Pr. referre, Sp. & Pg. referir, It. referire, riferire.]

Sense 1. To carry or send back; to pass over; to give in charge; to direct or deliver, as for treatment, decision, information, or the like; to make over; to cause to betake one's self to.

I'll refer me to all things of sense. Shak.

Sense 2. Hence, specifically, to pass over to another tribunal or authority for decision; as, a court refers a cause to a person selected for the purpose of taking testimony and reporting thereon to the court.

Sense 3. To place in or under by a mental or rational process; to assign to as a class, a cause, a motive, reason, or ground of explanation.

To refer one's self, to have recourse; to betake one's self; to make application.

Re-fér’,, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. 1. To have recourse; to apply; to appeal; to betake one’s self. In suits it is good to refer to some friend of trust. Bacon.

  1. To have reference or relation; to relate; to point. “Those places that refer to the shutting and opening of the abyss.” Burnet.
  2. To make reference or allusion; to have respect by intimation, not explicitly; to direct attention.
  3. To direct inquiry for information or a guarantee of any kind, as in respect to one’s integrity, capacity, pecuniary ability, and the like.

Syn.—To allude; advert; suggest; appeal.—REFER, ALLUDE, ADVERT. To refer is very often used in pointing to some object of thought; and other words may be needed by way of interchange and variety. Allude and advert may often be used for this purpose. We refer to a thing by distinctly introducing it into our discourse. We allude to it more remotely, by introducing something collaterally allied to it. We advert to it by turning off somewhat abruptly, to consider it more at large. Thus, Macaulay refers to the early condition of England at the opening of his history; he alludes to these statements from time to time; and adverts, in the progress of his work, to various circumstances of peculiar interest, on which for a time he dwells. “But to do good is the great duty to which Solomon refers in the text.” Sharp.—“This, I doubt not, was the artificial structure here alluded to.” Burnet. Now to the universal whole advert; The earth regard, as of that whole a part. Blackwall.