An archaic or obsolete form meaning to confer or consult together; to bring into comparison.
From Latin 'conferre,' combining 'com-' (together) and 'ferre' (to bring). The word evolved from Latin into Old French and Middle English, originally used in legal and religious contexts to mean bringing matters together for discussion.
This word is a linguistic fossil—it shows up in medieval manuscripts but was gradually replaced by the more familiar 'confer.' Many English words have siblings like this that fell out of fashion, making old documents read like a parallel universe of nearly-familiar vocabulary.
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