Other forms: differs, differing, differed
To differ is not to be the same as something else. Opinions differ, they differ on the detail, differ from the original.
The construction is differ from for things and differ on or about for people disagreeing. Beg to differ is a formal and slightly arch way of disagreeing politely. Agree to differ means stopping an argument without settling it. Note difference, different, and differentiate; and that different from is standard in Britain, different to is accepted, and different than is chiefly American and widely objected to.
1verbdifferNot to be the same as something else.
“The twins look alike, but they differ greatly in personality.”
synonyms: vary, diverge
2verbdisagreeTo disagree.
“We differ on politics, but we're still good friends.”
differ is a being unlike.
Also accepted in games: vary
Latin differre is dis-, apart, plus ferre, to carry — to carry apart. The same verb means to postpone, which is why defer and differ are the same word split into two English spellings.
Middle English
differren
English, today
differ
Built from
From Middle English differren. From Middle English differren, from Old French differer, from Latin differō (“carry apart, put off, defer; differ”), from dis- (“apart”) + ferō (“carry, bear”). Compare Ancient Greek διαφέρω. a doublet of defer#Etymology 1 and dilate#Etymology 2, see also infer, confer and collate, refer and relate, as well as prefer and prelate among others.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA