refer

Forms

1.To direct the attention of (someone toward something).
- The shop assistant referred me to the help desk on ground floor.
2.To submit to (another person or group) for consideration; to send or direct elsewhere.
- He referred the matter to the principal.
- The doctor may refer patients to a psychiatrist.
- I'll refer the objections back to management for reconsideration.
3.To place in or under by a mental or rational process; to assign to, as a class, a cause, source, a motive, reason, or ground of explanation.
- He referred the phenomena to electrical disturbances.
4.To mention (something); to direct attention (to something).
- To explain the problem, the teacher referred to an example in another textbook.
- She became disrespectfully referred to locally as the "Crab" on account of her extraordinary manoeuvrability.
- Nonetheless, for many years afterward, she was often referred to as maharani, though that eventually gave way to the less glamorous but more respectful title of rajmata, the equivalent of queen mother.

1.A blurb on the front page of a newspaper issue or section that refers the reader to the full story inside the issue or section by listing its slug or headline and its page number.

Common· #1140

From Middle English referren, from Old French referer, from Latin referre.

The noun (used in journalism) is from the verb.

Doublet of relate.

See also infer, collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.