[Etymonline :] 1530s, from Middle French conférer (14c.) "to give, converse, compare," from Latin conferre "to bring together," figuratively "to compare; consult, deliberate, talk over," from com- "together" (see com-) + ferre "to bear" (see infer). ...
[OED :] Etymology: < con- together, and intensive + ferre to bear, bring. French conférer (14th cent. in Littré) does not appear to have been taken into English:
hence the difference of stress between conˈfer , deˈfer , inˈfer ,
and ˈdiffer , ˈoffer , ˈproffer , ˈsuffer .
Compare collate v., formed on the participial stem of Latin conferre.
1. I was researching the etymology of 'confer', to understand how the two syntagms combined to evolve to mean 'to give or grant something'. My guess is that when two or more people 'bear' a hardship 'together', then one (or both) may give the other something as aid or relief. Am I right?
2. Anyhow, I then noticed a discrepancy: Etymonline asserts that 'confer' evolved from the Middle French conférer , but OED doubts this. Which is right?
If OED is right, then whence did the English 'confer' come?
3. OED also broaches 'collate' above, but how does this matter?