'transfer' originates from Latin via Old French, specifically the Latin verb 'transferre', where the prefix 'trans-' meant 'across' and 'ferre' meant 'to carry'.

'transfer' came into English from Old French 'transferer' / Middle English 'transferren', ultimately from Latin 'transferre'; the word moved from Latin into French and then into Middle English as part of normal borrowing.

Initially it meant 'to carry across' (literal movement); over time it broadened to mean moving ownership, rights, people, records, or abstract items, and now covers both physical and non-physical movement.