deferent

¹ American  

[def-er-uhnt] / ˈdɛf ər ənt /

adjective

1. marked by or showing deference.

   She was always deferent to her elders.

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deferent ² American  

[def-er-uhnt] / ˈdɛf ər ənt /

adjective

Anatomy.

1. conveying away; efferent.

2. of or relating to the vas deferens.

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noun

1. Astronomy. (in the Ptolemaic system) the circle around the earth in which a celestial body or the center of the epicycle of its orbit was thought to move.

deferent ¹ British  

/ ˈdɛfərənt /

adjective

1. (esp of a bodily nerve, vessel, or duct) conveying an impulse, fluid, etc, outwards, down, or away; efferent

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noun

1. astronomy (in the Ptolemaic system) a circle centred on the earth around which the centre of the epicycle was thought to move

deferent ² British  

/ ˈdɛfərənt /

adjective

1. another word for deferential

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Etymology

Origin of deferent¹

First recorded in 1815–25; defer ² + -ent

Origin of deferent²

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin dēferent- (stem of dēferēns ), present participle of dēferre. See defer ², -ent

Example Sentences

These images are almost reverentially deferent to Nature’s power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2018

Big Wall Street investors and shareholder advocates in recent years have criticized corporate boards for being too insular and deferent to management, occasionally to the detriment of shareholders.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 13, 2017

In order to match the observed motions of the planets, Ptolemy had to center the deferent circles, not on Earth, but at points some distance from Earth.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Whether or not Kelly should be so deferent doesn't much matter, given the spit-shine of the finished product.

From The Guardian • Jan. 12, 2013

Different hypotheses might produce the same result: for example an eccentric circle will generate exactly the same movement as an epicycle upon a deferent.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton