Etymograph

English

prefer

Prefer comes from Anglo-Norman preferer, from Latin praeferō ‘to carry before; prefer’ (prae- + ferō ‘to carry’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-1‘to bear’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō1‘to carry, bear’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeferō1‘to carry before; prefer’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400preferer1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preferren1‘prefer’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1599prefer1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English prefer
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “[…], let him go, And preſently preferre his ſuite…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-Wiktionary, English prefer‘to bear’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferōWiktionary, English prefer‘to carry, bear’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeferōWiktionary, English prefer‘to carry before; prefer’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400prefererWiktionary, English prefer
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preferrenWiktionary, English prefer‘prefer’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1599preferWiktionary, English prefer. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “[…], let him go, And preſently preferre his ſuite…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with prefer, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’

  • different ← differēns ← differō ← ferō ← *ferō
  • bar ← barre ← barre ← *barra ← *barros
  • birth ← birthe ← burðr ← *burþiz ← *bʰértis
  • bear ← beren ← beran ← *beran ← *beraną
  • broad ← brood ← brād ← *braid ← *braidaz
  • offer ← offrian ← offerō ← ferō ← *ferō
  • difference ← differentia ← differēns ← differō ← ferō
  • translation ← translacioun ← translacioun ← trānslātiō ← trānsferō
  • extraordinary ← extrāōrdinārius ← extrā ← ablātīvus ← auferō
  • transfer ← trānsferō ← ferō ← *ferō ← *bʰéreti
  • fortune ← fortuna ← *fortūnā ← *bʰr̥-tew-n-éh₂
  • relative ← relatif ← relātīvus ← relātus ← referō

186 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

verb To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “prefer”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / prefer