Dictionary Definition
confer adv : compare (used in texts to point the
reader to another location in the text) [syn: cf., cf, see, see also]
Verb
1 have a conference in order to talk something
over; "We conferred about a plan of action" [syn: confabulate, confab, consult]
2 present; "The university conferred a degree on
its most famous former student, who never graduated"; "bestow an
honor on someone" [syn: bestow] [also: conferring, conferred]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
conferrePronunciation
- /kən'fɜ:/
- Rhymes: -ɜː(r)
Verb
See also
Translations
collect
discuss, consult
- Dutch: overleggen, consulteren
- Finnish: neuvotella
- Spanish: debatir, consultar
- Swedish: konferera, rådlägga
conduce
bestow
Extensive Definition
cf. is an abbreviation for the Latin-derived (but
also modern English)
word confer, meaning "compare" or "consult". It is mainly used in
common
and statute law contexts as well as in academic writing.
Thus cf. is often used by authors in the text of
their article or book to refer to other academic material which may
provide auxiliary information or arguments to the understanding of
theirs.
It is sometimes used (primarily in dictionaries)
to imply insight into the preceding word's etymology — that is,
to suggest how one term obtained its particular naming convention
(perhaps from another phrase). For example, the phrase "Big Whack (cf.
Big
Bang)" suggests to the reader that the usage of the moniker (self-given nickname)
"Big Whack" derives at least its name from the latter.
In the system of binomial
nomenclature, the use of cf. is similarly used to indicate that
the species needs to be seen in context of its comparison to
another, but by definition is not confirmed as the same. For
example Corvus cf. splendens indicates "a bird similar to the
House
Crow but not certainly identified as this species". For this
reason many mistakenly believe that cf. is an abbreviated form of
"confirmed" or "inconfirmatus" or the like.
See also
References
confer in German:
Zitat#Zitate_in_der_Wissenschaft
confer in Spanish: Véase
confer in French: Confer
confer in Hungarian: Vö.
confer in Dutch: Cf.
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
abalienate, accord, administer, advise, advise with, advocate, afford, alien, alienate, allot, allow, amortize, argue, assign, award, bargain, barter, bequeath, bestow, bestow on, brief, call in, cede, chaffer, coach, collogue, communicate, compare notes,
confab, confabulate, confer with,
consign, consult, consult with, converse, convey, counsel, deal, deal out, debate, deed, deed over, deliberate, deliver, demise, devolve upon, direct, discuss, discuss with, dish out,
dispense, dole, dole out, donate, enfeoff, exchange, exchange
observations, exchange views, extend, fork out, gift, gift with, give, give freely, give out, give
title to, grant, guide, hand, hand down, hand on, hand out,
hand over, have conversations, heap, help to, hold conference,
huddle, impart, instruct, issue, kibitz, lavish, let have, make over,
meddle, mete, mete out, negotiate, offer, palaver, parley, pass, pass on, pass over, pour, powwow, prescribe, present, proffer, propose, provide, put heads together,
rain, reason with, recommend, refer to, render, sell, serve, settle, settle on, shell out,
shower, sign away, sign
over, sit down together, sit down with, slip, snow, speak, submit, suggest, surrender, take counsel, take
up with, talk, talk over,
tender, trade, transfer, transmit, treat, turn over, vouchsafe, yield