"respectful in manner, characterized by deference," 1822, from deference. As a word in anatomy, "conveying away or carrying off," 1877, from deferent (adj.) + -ial. Related: Deferentially.
Entries linking to deferential
deference n.
"a yielding in opinion, submission to the judgment of another," 1640s, from French déférence (16c.), from déférer "to yield, comply" (see defer (v.2)).
deferent adj.
1620s, "bearing off or away," from French déférent (16c.), from Latin deferentem (nominative deferens), present participle of deferre "to carry down or away" (see defer (v.2)). Earlier in Middle English as a word in Ptolemaic astronomy (early 15c.) to explain the apparent motion of planets.
-ial
adjectival word-forming element, variant of -al (1) with connective -i-. From Latin -ialis, in which the -i- originally was from the stem of the word being attached but later came to be felt as connective.