Meaning

noun a person whose case has been referred to a specialist or professional group

noun a recommendation to consult the (professional) person or group to whom one has been referred

noun the act of referring (as forwarding an applicant for employment or referring a matter to an appropriate agency)

originEtymology tree English refer Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English referral From refer + -al.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0