refer (redirected from referring)

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.

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[Middle English referren, from Old French referer, from Latin referre : re-, re- + ferre, to carry; see bher-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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refer·a·ble (rfr--bl, r-fûr-) adj.

re·ferral n.

re·ferrer 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.

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refer [rɪˈfɜː]

vb -fers, -ferring, -ferred (often foll by to)

1. (intr) to make mention (of)

2. (tr) to direct the attention of (someone) for information, facts, etc. the reader is referred to Chomsky, 1965

3. (intr) to seek information (from) I referred to Directory Enquiries he referred to his notes

4. (intr) to be relevant (to); pertain or relate (to) this song refers to an incident in the Civil War

5. (tr) to assign or attribute Cromwell referred his victories to God

6. (tr) to hand over for consideration, reconsideration, or decision to refer a complaint to another department

7. (tr) to hand back to the originator as unacceptable or unusable

8. (Social Science / Education) (tr) Brit to fail (a student) in an examination

9. (Social Science / Education) (tr) Brit to send back (a thesis) to a student for improvement

(Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance)

refer to drawer a request by a bank that the payee consult the drawer concerning a cheque payable by that bank (usually because the drawer has insufficient funds in his account), payment being suspended in the meantime

11. (Medicine) (tr) to direct (a patient) for treatment to another doctor, usually a specialist

12. (Social Welfare) (tr) Social welfare to direct (a client) to another agency or professional for a service

[from Latin referre to carry back, from re- + ferre to bear¹]

referable  [ˈrɛfərəb^əl], referrable [rɪˈfɜːrəb^əl] adj

referral  n

referrer  n

Usage: The common practice of adding back to refer is tautologous, since this meaning is already contained in the re- of refer: this refers to (not back to) what has already been said. However, when refer is used in the sense of passing a document or question for further consideration to the person from whom it was received, it may be appropriate to say he referred the matter back

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	refer - make reference to; "His name was mentioned in connection with the invention" cite, mention, advert, name, bring up have in mind, think of, mean - intend to refer to; "I'm thinking of good food when I talk about France"; "Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!" commend, remember - mention as by way of greeting or to indicate friendship; "Remember me to your wife" speak of the devil - mention someone's name who just then appears remember - mention favorably, as in prayer; "remember me in your prayers" quote, cite - refer to for illustration or proof; "He said he could quote several instances of this behavior" touch on - refer to or discuss briefly invoke, appeal - cite as an authority; resort to; "He invoked the law that would save him"; "I appealed to the law of 1900"; "She invoked an ancient law" namedrop - refer to people that one assumes one's interlocutors admire in order to try to impress them bring up, raise - put forward for consideration or discussion; "raise the question of promotions"; "bring up an unpleasant topic" drag up, dredge up - mention something unpleasant from the past; "Drag up old stories" cross-refer - refer from one entry to another, as in catalogues, books, and lists
	2.	refer - be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments" concern, have-to doe with, pertain, bear on, come to, touch on, relate, touch allude, advert, touch - make a more or less disguised reference to; "He alluded to the problem but did not mention it" center, center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about, revolve around - center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her children"; "Our day revolved around our work" go for, apply, hold - be pertinent or relevant or applicable; "The same laws apply to you!"; "This theory holds for all irrational numbers"; "The same rules go for everyone" involve, regard, affect - connect closely and often incriminatingly; "This new ruling affects your business" matter to, interest - be of importance or consequence; "This matters to me!"
	3.	refer - think of, regard, or classify under a subsuming principle or with a general group or in relation to another; "This plant can be referred to a known species" class, classify, sort out, assort, sort, separate - arrange or order by classes or categories; "How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?"
	4.	refer - send or direct for treatment, information, or a decision; "refer a patient to a specialist"; "refer a bill to a committee" submit, subject - refer for judgment or consideration; "The lawyers submitted the material to the court" send, direct - cause to go somewhere; "The explosion sent the car flying in the air"; "She sent her children to camp"; "He directed all his energies into his dissertation" recommit - send back to a committee; "The bill was recommitted three times in the House"
	5.	refer - seek information from; "You should consult the dictionary"; "refer to your notes" look up, consult research - attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner; "The student researched the history of that word"
	6.	refer - have as a meaning; "`multi-' denotes `many' " denote signify, stand for, mean, intend - denote or connote; "`maison' means `house' in French"; "An example sentence would show what this word means" denote - be a sign or indication of; "Her smile denoted that she agreed" twist around, convolute, pervert, sophisticate, twist - practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive; "Don't twist my words" euphemise, euphemize - refer to something with a euphemism hark back, recall, come back, return - go back to something earlier; "This harks back to a previous remark of his" identify, name - give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property; "Many senators were named in connection with the scandal"; "The almanac identifies the auspicious months" apply - refer (a word or name) to a person or thing; "He applied this racial slur to me!" slur - speak disparagingly of; e.g., make a racial slur; "your comments are slurring your co-workers" state, express - indicate through a symbol, formula, etc.; "Can you express this distance in kilometers?"
	7.	refer - use a name to designate; "Christians refer to the mother of Jesus as the Virgin Mary" call, name - assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to; "They named their son David"; "The new school was named after the famous Civil Rights leader"

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refer

verb

1. pass on, transfer, deliver, commit, hand over, submit, turn over, consign He could refer the matter to the high court.

2. direct, point, send, guide, recommend He referred me to a book.

refer to something or someone

1. allude to, mention, cite, speak of, bring up, invoke, hint at, touch on, make reference, make mention of He referred to a recent trip to Canada.

2. relate to, mean, concern, describe, represent, indicate, apply to, stand for, signify, denote, pertain to, be relevant to The term `electronics' refers to electrically-induced action.

3. consult, go, apply, turn to, look up, have recourse to, seek information from He referred briefly to his notebook.

Translations

refer [rɪˈfɜːʳ]

A. VT

1. (= send, direct) → remitir
to refer sth to sb → remitir algo a algn
I have to refer it to my boss → tengo que remitírselo a mi jefe → tengo que consultarlo con mi jefe
to refer a dispute to arbitration → someter or remitir una disputa al arbitraje
the case has been referred to the Supreme Court → han diferido el caso al Tribunal Supremo
the decision has been referred to us → la decisión se ha dejado a nuestro juicio
to refer sb to sth/sb: I referred him to the manager → lo envié a que viera al gerente
the doctor referred me to a specialist → el médico me mandó a un especialista
the reader is referred to page 15 → remito al lector a la página 15
"refer to drawer" (on cheque) → devolver al librador

2. (= ascribe) → atribuir
he refers his mistake to tiredness → el error lo achaca a su cansancio, atribuye el error a su cansancio
he refers the painting to the 14th century → atribuye el cuadro al siglo XIV

3. (Brit) (Univ) [+ student] → suspender

4. (Med) referred pain → dolor m reflejo

B. VI to refer to

1. (= relate to) → referirse a
this refers to you all → esto se refiere a todos ustedes, esto va para todos ustedes
the rules do not refer to special cases → las normas no son aplicables a los casos especiales

2. (= allude to) → referirse a
I am not referring to you → no me estoy refiriendo a ti
I refer to your letter of 1st May → con relación a su carta con fecha del uno de mayo

3. (= mention) → mencionar
he never refers to that evening → nunca menciona aquella noche

4. (= consult) → consultar
she had to refer to her notes → tuvo que consultar sus apuntes
please refer to section three → véase la sección tres

5. (= describe) he referred to her as his assistant → cuando se refería a ella la llamaba su ayudante
this kind of art is often referred to as "minimal art" → este tipo de arte a menudo se denomina "arte minimalista"

refer back

A. VT + ADV [+ matter, decision] → volver a remitir; [+ person] → volver a mandar
the case was referred back to the Court of Appeal → el caso se volvió a remitir al Tribunal de Apelación
the pharmacist may refer you back to your doctor → puede que el farmacéutico te vuelva a mandar al médico de cabecera

B. VI + ADV to refer back to sth: you should refer back to your notes → deberías volver a consultar tus apuntes
refer back to the table in chapter seven → véase de nuevo el recuadro del capítulo siete

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refer [rɪˈfɜː^r] vt
to refer sth to sb [+ dispute, decision, matter] → renvoyer qch devant qn
to refer sb to sb (for information) → adresser qn à qn, envoyer qn à qn
He referred me to the manager → Il m'a dit de m'adresser au directeur.
to refer sb to a specialist [+ patient] → envoyer qn voir un spécialiste
to refer sb to sth [+ reader] (to text) → renvoyer qn à qch
to be referred to hospital → être envoyé(e) à l'hôpital

refer to

vt fus

(= speak of) → parler de, faire allusion à
What are you referring to? → À quoi faites-vous allusion?
to refer to sb as sth → appeler qn qch
He always referred to his friend as Mr Lowry → Il appelait toujours son ami M. Lowry., Lorsqu'il parlait de son ami, il disait toujours "M. Lowry".
referring to your letter → en réponse à votre lettre

(= consult) [+ recipe, manual, dictionary] → se reporter à

(= apply to) → s'appliquer à

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refer

vt

(= pass) matter, problem → weiterleiten (→ to an +acc); decision → übergeben (to sb jdm); the case was referred to arbitration → der Fall wurde einem Schiedsgericht übergeben; it was referred to us for (a) decision → es wurde uns (dat) → zur Entscheidung übergeben; I referred him to the manager → ich verwies ihn an den Geschäftsführer; the patient was referred for tests → der Patient wurde zu Untersuchungen geschickt; the doctor referred him to a specialist → der Arzt überwies ihn an einen Spezialisten or schickte ihn zu einem Spezialisten; to refer somebody to the article on … → jdn auf den Artikel über (+acc) → … verweisen; to refer a cheque (Brit) or check (US) to drawer (Comm) → einen Scheck an den Aussteller zurücksenden

(Brit Univ) thesis → zur Änderung zurückgeben

vi

to refer to (= allude to) → sprechen von; (= mention also) → erwähnen; (words) → sich beziehen auf (+acc); I am not referring to you → ich meine nicht Sie; what can he be referring to? → was meint er wohl?, wovon spricht er wohl?; the letter refers to you all → der Brief gilt euch allen; referring to your letter (Comm) → mit Bezug auf Ihren Brief

(= apply to) to refer to (orders, rules) → gelten für; (criticism, remark) → sich beziehen auf (+acc)

(= consult) to refer to (to notes, book) → nachschauen in (+dat), → konsultieren (geh); to person → sich wenden an (+acc); you must refer to the original → Sie müssen aufs Original zurückgreifen

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refer [rɪˈfɜːʳ]

1. vt (gen) to refer sth to (matter, decision) → sottoporre qc a qn, deferire qc a qn
to refer sb to sth → richiamare l'attenzione di qn su qc
he referred me to the manager → mi ha detto di rivolgermi al direttore
"refer to drawer" (on cheque) → "rivolgersi al traente"

2. vi to refer to

a. (relate to) → riferirsi a
does that refer to me? → vale anche per me?

b. (allude to, directly) → fare riferimento a; (indirectly) → fare allusione or accenno a
referring to your letter (Comm) → in riferimento alla Vostra lettera
we will not refer to it again → non ne riparleremo più

c. (turn attention to, see) → consultare; (consult, person) → rivolgersi a
please refer to section 3 → vedi sezione 3

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refer [rɪˈfɜːʳ]

1. vt (gen) to refer sth to (matter, decision) → sottoporre qc a qn, deferire qc a qn
to refer sb to sth → richiamare l'attenzione di qn su qc
he referred me to the manager → mi ha detto di rivolgermi al direttore
"refer to drawer" (on cheque) → "rivolgersi al traente"

2. vi to refer to

a. (relate to) → riferirsi a
does that refer to me? → vale anche per me?

b. (allude to, directly) → fare riferimento a; (indirectly) → fare allusione or accenno a
referring to your letter (Comm) → in riferimento alla Vostra lettera
we will not refer to it again → non ne riparleremo più

c. (turn attention to, see) → consultare; (consult, person) → rivolgersi a
please refer to section 3 → vedi sezione 3

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refer

v refer [rəˈfəː]

(withto)

1 to talk or write (about something); to mention He doesn't like anyone referring to his wooden leg; I referred to your theories in my last book. verwys يُشير إلى، يَذْكُر отнасям zmiňovat se, mluvit o omtale hinweisen αναφέρω, αναφέρομαι referirse a, hacer alusión a mainima, viitama اشاره کردن mainita faire allusion à לְהִתייַחֵס אֶל- सुपुर्द करना aludirati, pozvati se na nešto utal vkire, vmire menyebut vísa til, minnast á alludere ～のことを言う 언급하다 kalbėti, užsiminti apie, nurodyti norādīt; atsaukties (uz autoru u.tml.) rujuk verwijzen vise til, nevne wspomnieć, przytoczyć referir-se a a face aluzie/refe­rire la упоминать zmieniť sa (o), hovoriť (o) omeniti uputiti na nämna, hänvisa till อ้างอิง ...-den söz etmek, ...-e ilişkin olmak 提到，談起 згадувати حوالہ دینا nhắc tới 提（谈）到

2 to relate to, concern, or apply to My remarks refer to your last letter. verwys, handel oor يُشير، يَنْطَبِق، يَتَعَلَّق بِ، يَخُص отнасям vztahovat se referere sich beziehen αναφέρομαι σε, αφορώ referir(se), hacer referencia/alusión a puudutama مربوط بودن viitata renvoyer à לְהִתייַחֵס אֶל- वर्णन करना odnositi se na vonatkozik vkire, vmire mengacu varða riferirsi ～に関係する 관련을 가지다 sietis, būti susijusiam attiekties berpandukan verwijzen (hen)vise til, angå, vedrøre odnosić się reportar-se a a trimite, a se referi относиться vzťahovať sa (na), týkať sa nanašati se odnositi se avse, åsyfta เกี่ยวกับ olmak 針對，有關 стосуватися ذکر کرنا liên quan tới 指的是

3 to send or pass on to someone else for discussion, information, a decision etc The case was referred to a higher law-court; I'll refer you to the managing director. verwys يُحيل إلى، يَرْفَع отпращам postoupit, předat sende videre; henvise verweisen παραπέμπω enviar, remitir edasi saatma ارجاع دادن ohjata jnk puoleen envoyer à לְהִיווַעֵץ हवाला करना uputiti na, prepustiti vkit, vmit vkihez küld meneruskan, menggarahkan vísa til affidare 任せる 회부하다 perduoti, pasiųsti, nukreipti nodot; pārsūtīt rujuk verwijzen henvise til skierować enviar a trimite направлять postúpiť, poukazovať, upozorniť napotiti proslediti hänskjuta, remittera, överlämna อ้างถึงข้อมูลอื่น ๆ ...-e göndermek 提交 відсилати; направляти رجوع کرنا chuyển sang; giới thiệu 提交

4 to look for information (in something) If I'm not sure how to spell a word, I refer to a dictionary. raadpleeg يَبْحَث عن مَعْلومات отнасям се podívat se do slå efter nachschlagen προσφεύγω, ανατρέχω consultar (millestki) järele vaatama رجوع کردن به tarkistaa consulter לְהֵיעָזֵר संपर्क करना pogledati (zaviriti) u rječnik utánanéz melihat leita til/í consultare 参照する 참조하다 pažiūrėti konsultēties; meklēt uzziņu rujuk raadplegen slå opp i, se etter odwołać się consultar a consulta справляться pozrieť sa (do), nahliadnuť pogledati (v) potražiti rådfråga, slå upp i ค้นหาข้อมูล ...-e bakmak 查閱 звертатися معلومات کے لیے کتاب وغیرہ دیکھنا tra cứu 查阅

n referee [refəˈriː]

1 a person who controls boxing, football etc matches, makes sure that the rules are not broken etc The referee sent two of the players off the field. skeidsregter حَكَم съдия soudce dommer der Schiedsrichter διαιτητής árbitro kohtunik داور tuomari arbitre שוֹפֶט रेफरी sudac játékvezető wasit dómari arbitro レフリー 심판 teisėjas tiesnesis (sportā) pengadil scheidsrechter dommer sędzia árbitro arbitru рефери rozhodca sodnik sudija domare กรรมการ hakem 裁判 суддя, рефері کھیل کا نگراں trọng tài 裁判员

2 a person who is willing to provide a note about one's character, ability etc, eg when one applies for new job. referent, verwysing حَكَم على الشَّخْصِيَّه أثناء المُقابلات рецензент ručitel reference die Referenz πρόσωπο που παρέχει επαγγελματικές συστάσεις garante, persona que da referencias sobre otra soovitaja معرف suosittaja répondant/-ante מַמלִיץ हवालाकर्ता osoba koja može dati mišljenje (preporuku) ajánló pemberi referensi ábyrgðarmaður referenza 身元保証人 신원 보증인 rekomenduojantis asmuo rekomendācija; atsauksme rujukan referentie referanse osoba polecająca referência persoană care dă refe­rinţe поручитель ručiteľ porok izdavalac preporuke referensperson กรรมการในการสัมภาษณ์งาน tavsiye mektubu yazan kimse 引薦人 особа, що дає рекомендацію ثالث người chứng nhận 鉴定人

v – past tense, past participle ˌrefeˈreed –

to act as a referee for a match I've been asked to referee (a football match) on Saturday. skeidsregter wees يَحْكُم في مُباراه реферирам soudcovat dømme Schiedsrichter sein bei διαιτητεύω arbitrar kohtunikuks olema داوری کردن toimia tuomarina arbitrer לִשפּוֹט मैंच में रेफरी का काम suditi (na utakmici) vezet (mérkőzést) mewasiti dæma arbitrare レフリーを勤める 심판 역할을 하다 teisėjauti tiesāt (sportā); būt par tiesnesi mengadili als scheidsrechter optrreden dømme sędziować arbitrar a ar­bi­tra судить rozhodovať, pískať soditi suditi döma ทำหน้าที่เป็นผู้ตัดสิน hakemlik yapmak 擔任裁判 бути суддею کھیل کا نگراں ہونا làm trọng tài 担任裁判

n reference [ˈrefərəns]

1 (an) act of referring (to something); a mention (of something) He made several references to her latest book; With reference to your request for information, I regret to inform you that I am unable to help you. verwysing إشارَه отнасяне zmínka; pokud jde o henvisning der Verweis αναφορά, μνεία referencia viide مراجعه viittaus référence; concernant הִתייַחסוּת संदर्भ referenca hivatkozás, utalás penyebutan tilvísun riferimento 言及 언급 atsiliepimas, užsiminimas atsaukšanās; atsauce rujukan verwijzing henvisning, referanse; i henhold til wzmianka, odniesienie referência referire; referitor (la) упоминание zmienka; čo sa týka sklicevanje upućivanje hänvisning, hänsyftning, refererande การอ้างอิง ricanızla ilgili olarak; söz etme, değinme 提及，涉及 посилання; згадування حوالہ sự tham khảo 提及，涉及

2 a note about one's character, ability etc, eg when one applies for a new job Our new secretary had excellent references from her previous employers. verwysing, referent شَهادَه شَخْص حَوْل شَخْصِيَّة إنْسان справка reference anbefaling die Referenz σύσταση referencias soovitus معرفی نامه referenssi références הַמלָצָה उल्लेख preporuka ajánlólevél referensi meðmæli referenze 人物証明書 (인물·기량 등에 관한) 조회 atsiliepimas, rekomendacija rekomendācija; atsauksme rujukan referentie referanse, anbefaling list polecający, referencja, opinia referência referinţe рекомендация referencia, posudok, osvedčenie priporočilo preporuka referens หนังสือรับรอง referans, bonservis 引薦函 рекомендація استناد nhận xét 关于品行、能力等的）证明、介绍

3 an indication in a book, report etc, showing where one got one's information or where further information can be found. verwysing مَرْجِع، مَصْدَر مَعْلومات отпратка odkaz henvisning der Hinweis παραπομπή referencia viitamine کتاب مرجع lähdeviite référence אַסמַכתָא निर्देश, सम्बन्ध, हवाला referenca, bilješka u knjizi hivatkozás, utalás petunjuk tilvísun, tilvísunarskrá rimando, rinvio 参照事項 참조 nuoroda atsauce, norāde nota rujukan verwijzing litteraturhenvisning odsyłacz referência referinţă ссылка odkaz, odvolávka napotitev pomoćna literatura hänvisning เอกสารอ้างอิง gönderme 參考書目 виноска نشان حاشیہ phần tham khảo 参考书目

reference book

a book which is not usually read from beginning to end but which is consulted occasionally for information, eg a dictionary or encyclopaedia. naslaanwerk مَرْجِع عِلْمي، كِتاب أو موسوعَه справочник (naučný) slovník, příručka opslagsbog; håndbog das Nachschlagewerk βιβλίο αναφοράς obra de referencia teatmeteos کتاب خانه کتب مرجع hakuteos ouvrage de référence סֵפֶר עִיוּן संदर्भ पुस्तक priručnik kézikönyv buku rujukan uppsláttarrit opera/testo/libro di consultazione 参考図書 참고서 informacinė knyga, žinynas uzziņu grāmata; rokasgrāmata buku rujukan naslagwerk oppslagsbok, håndbok leksykon, słownik itd. livro de referência carte de refe­rinţă справочник (náučný) slovník, príručka priročnik pomoćna literatura uppslags-, hand-, referensbok หนังสืออ้างอิง başvuru kitabı 參考書 довідник حوالہ جاتی کتاب sách tham khảo 参考书

reference library

a library of books to be looked at for information but not borrowed. naslaanbiblioteek مَكْتَبَة مَراجِع читалня příruční knihovna håndbibliotek die Handbücherei βιβλιοθήκη έργων αναφοράς biblioteca de consulta käsikogu, avariiulikogu کتابخانه مرجع käsikirjasto bibliothèque de consultation סִפרִייַת עִיוּן संदर्भ पुस्तकालय knjižnica s priručnicima, priručna biblioteka kézikönyvtár perpustakaan rujukan bókasafn með uppsláttarritum biblioteca di consultazione 참고 도서관 parankinė biblioteka uzziņu bibliotēka perpustakaan rujukan naslagbibliotheek hånd-/referansebibliotek bibliote(cz)ka podręczna biblioteca de referência biblio­tecă cu cărţi pentru sala de lectură справочная библиотека príručná knižnica priročna knjižnica literatua referensbibliotek ห้องสมุดที่มีหนังสือสำหรับอ้างอิงแต่ยืมออกไปไม่ได้ başvuru kitaplığı 參考圖書館 довідкова бібліотека حوالہ جاتی کتب خانہ thư viện tham khảo 参考书阅览室

reference , noun, is spelt with -r- .

referred and referring are spelt with -rr- .

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refer → يُشير إلى zmínit (se) referere til sprechen von παραπέμπω remitir viitata johonkin référer uputiti na indirizzare 口に出す 언급하다 verwijzen referere odnieść się referir направлять hänvisa อ้างอิง söz etmek nhắc đến 提交