defer

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
defer1 /dɪˈfəː/

▶verb (defers, deferring, deferred) put off to a later time; postpone.

■ Law (of a judge) postpone (a sentence) so that the circumstances or conduct of the defendant can be further assessed.

– derivatives
deferment noun,
deferrable adjective,
deferral noun.

– origin ME: from OFr. differer ‘defer or differ’, from L. differre, from dis- ‘apart’ + ferre ‘bring, carry’.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
defer2 /dɪˈfəː/

▶verb (defers, deferring, deferred) (defer to) submit to or acknowledge the merit of: he deferred to Tim's superior knowledge.

– derivatives
deferrer noun.

– origin ME: from OFr. deferer, from L. deferre ‘carry away, refer’, from de- ‘away from’ + ferre ‘bring, carry’.