refer
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 tr (Brit) to fail (a student) in an examination
9 tr (Brit) to send back (a thesis) to a student for improvement
10 ♦
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 tr to direct (a patient) for treatment to another doctor, usually a specialist
12 tr (Social welfare) to direct (a client) to another agency or professional for a service
(C14: from Latin referre to carry back, from re- + ferre to bear1)
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referable
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referrable adj
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referral n
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referrer n
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