confer

verb

1. (transitive)To grant as a possession; to bestow.

   “The college has conferred an honorary degree upon the visiting Prime Minister.”

   “Nor shall I count in hainous to enjoy The public marks of honour and reward Conferr'd upon me[…]”

   “Abel tried to refuse the honor thus unexpectedly conferred upon him, but it was no use. He had been made a deacon, and a deacon he must remain.”

   “Referring to the "hero of the day," No. 92220, Mr. Hanks acceded that she was not of the Great Western breed, but they had done their best to make up for that by "dollying her up in good old Western colours and conferring upon her the finest honour we can—the halo or crown of Swindon, the copper top to her chimney."”

   “The special immunities that are conferred on MPs were framed with the essential purpose of allowing them to speak freely in parliament.”

2. (intransitive)To talk together, to consult, discuss; to collogue.

   “They were in a huddle, conferring about something.”

   “Local buttons popped when Henry Kissinger visited Little Rock last month to confer with Fulbright on the Middle East oil talks.”

3. (obsolete)To compare.

   “The Newe Testament ... Conferred diligently with the Greke, and best approued translations.”

   “Confer thine estate with others […]. Be content and rest satisfied, for thou art well in respect to others […].”

   “If we confer these observations with others of the like nature, we may find cause to rectify the general opinion.”

4. (obsolete, transitive)To bring together; to collect, gather.
5. (obsolete)To contribute; to conduce.

   “The closeness and compactness of the parts resting together doth much confer to the strength of the union.”

name

1. A surname.