re·fer (r -fûr )v. re·ferred, re·fer·ring, re·fers v.tr.1. To direct to a source for help or information: referred her to a heart specialist; referred me to his last employer for a recommendation. 2. To assign or attribute to; regard as originated by. 3. To assign to or regard as belonging within a particular kind or class. 4. To submit (a matter in dispute) to an authority for arbitration, decision, or examination. 5. To direct the attention of: refer him to his duties. v.intr.1. To pertain; concern: questions referring to yesterday's lecture. 2. To make mention or reference. 3. To have recourse; turn: refer to a dictionary.
[Middle English referren, from Old French referer, from Latin referre : re-, re- + ferre, to carry; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
ref er·a·ble (r f r- -b l, r -fûr -) adj. re·fer ral n. re·fer rer n. Synonyms: refer, advert1, mention These verbs mean to call or direct attention to something: referred to my indiscretion; adverting to childhood experiences; often mentions his old friend. See Also Synonyms at attribute, resort. Usage Note: It is sometimes believed that the phrase refer back is redundant, since the prefix re- means "back," but the objection is misplaced. In fact, an expression can refer either to something that has already been mentioned or to something that is yet to be mentioned, and the distinction between refer back and refer ahead may thus be required for clarification. For example, the sentence Jones promised that if he was elected to the council, Harris would be made the council president is ambiguous, because the pronoun he may either refer back or refer ahead. See Usage Notes at allude, redundancy. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. | referral - a person whose case has been referred to a specialist or professional group; "the patient is a referral from Dr. Bones"case - a person requiring professional services; "a typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor" | | 2. | referral - a recommendation to consult the (professional) person or group to whom one has been referred; "the insurance company says that you need a written referral from your physician before seeing a specialist"recommendation - something (as a course of action) that is recommended as advisable | | 3. | referral - the act of referring (as forwarding an applicant for employment or referring a matter to an appropriate agency)forwarding - the act of sending on to another destination; "the forwarding of mail to a new address is done automatically"; "the forwarding of resumes to the personnel department" |
Translations referral n (Med: to hospital, specialist etc) → Überweisung f → (to zu); (Jur: of case) → Verweisung f (→ to an +acc); referral letter, letter of referral (Med) → Überweisung f
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