infer

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From Latin inferō, from Latin in- (“in, at, on; into”) + Latin ferō (“bear, carry; suffer”) (cognate to Old English beran, whence English bear), from Proto-Italic *ferō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti (“to bear, carry”), from the root *bʰer-. Literally “carry forward”, equivalent to “bear in”, as in concluding from a premise.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɝ/
• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɜː/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)

Verb

1. (transitive) To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence. [from 16th c.]
   • 2010, "Keep calm, but don't carry on", The Economist, 7 Oct 2010:

     It is dangerous to infer too much from martial bluster in British politics: at the first hint of trouble, channelling Churchill is a default tactic for beleaguered leaders of all sorts.

2. (transitive) To lead to (something) as a consequence; to imply. (Now often considered incorrect, especially with a person as subject.) [from 16th c.]
   • Template:RQ:Florio Montaigne Essayes
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     This doth infer the zeal I had to see him.

   • (Can we date this quote by Sir Thomas More and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The first part is not the proof of the second, but rather contrariwise, the second inferreth well the first.

3. (obsolete) To cause, inflict (something) upon or to someone. [16th-18th c.]
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VI.8:

     faire Serena […] fled fast away, afeard / Of villany to be to her inferd […].

4. (obsolete) To introduce (a subject) in speaking, writing etc.; to bring in. [16th–18th c.]
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Full well hath Clifford played the orator, / Inferring arguments of mighty force.

Usage notes

There are two ways in which the word "infer" is sometimes used as if it meant "imply". "Implication" is done by a person when making a "statement", whereas "inference" is done to a proposition after it had already been made or assumed. Secondly, the word "infer" can sometimes be used to mean "allude" or "express" in a suggestive manner rather than as a direct "statement". Using the word "infer" in this sense is now generally considered incorrect. [1] [2]

Synonyms

• assume, conclude, deduce, educe, construe

Related terms

• inferable
• inference
• illative
• illation
• -ferous (-iferous)

Translations

1. (transitive) To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence. [from 16th c.]

   • It is dangerous to infer too much from martial bluster in British politics: at the first hint of trouble, channelling Churchill is a default tactic for beleaguered leaders of all sorts.

to introduce as a reasoned conclusion

• Bulgarian: заключавам (bg) (zaključavam)
• Czech: vyvodit
• Dutch: concluderen (nl)
• Finnish: päätellä (fi), tehdä johtopäätös
• French: déduire (fr), inférer (fr)
• German: schlussfolgern (de), folgern (de), schließen (de), Schlüsse ziehen
• Greek: συμπεραίνω (el) (symperaíno)
• Hungarian: kikövetkeztet (hu), dedukál
• Italian: inferire (it), dedurre (it), concludere (it), infliggere (it)
• Latin: coniecto
• Maori: hīkaro
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Occitan: inferir, dedusir, deduire, dedurre
• Polish: wnioskować (pl), dedukować
• Portuguese: inferir (pt)
• Romanian: motiva (ro), deduce (ro), infera (ro)
• Russian: заключить (ru) pf (zaključitʹ), сделать заключение (sdelatʹ zaključenije), сделать вывод (sdelatʹ vyvod), вывести (ru) pf (vyvesti)
• Spanish: inferir (es)
• Swedish: sluta sig till
• Turkish: anlam çıkarmak (tr), anlamına gelmek (tr), anlamak (tr), mana çıkarmak (tr), manasına gelmek, sonucunu çıkarmak
• Ukrainian: робити висновок (robyty vysnovok)

to lead to as a consequence

• Bulgarian: загатвам (bg) (zagatvam)
• Czech: dopadnout (cs)
• Finnish: johtaa (fi), selittää (fi)
• Greek: υπονοώ (el) (yponoó), υπαινίσσομαι (el) (ypainíssomai)
• Italian: implicare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: предполагать (ru) impf (predpolagatʹ), предположить (ru) pf (predpoložitʹ), догадываться (ru) impf (dogadyvatʹsja), догадаться (ru) pf (dogadatʹsja)
• Spanish: inferir (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} правя извод (pravja izvod) <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Czech: ^{(please verify)} vyvodit, ^{(please verify)} usoudit, ^{(please verify)} odvodit pf <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• French: ^{(please verify)} déduire (fr)
• German: ^{(please verify)} schließen (de), ^{(please verify)} schlussfolgern (de) <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Greek: ^{(please verify)} συμπεραίνω (el) (symperaíno) <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} kikövetkeztet (hu)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} concludere (it), ^{(please verify)} dedurre (it) <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} álykta (1), að gefa í skyn (2)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 推量する
• Maori: ^{(please verify)} hīkaro <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} utlede, ^{(please verify)} konkludere (no), ^{(please verify)} slutte (no) (1), ^{(please verify)} anta (no), ^{(please verify)} tenke (no), ^{(please verify)} spekulere (2)
• Occitan: ^{(please verify)} inferir, ^{(please verify)} dedusir <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Polish: ^{(please verify)} wnioskować (pl) <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Portuguese: ^{(please verify)} inferir (pt) <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} conchide (ro), ^{(please verify)} concluziona (ro), ^{(please verify)} infera (ro) <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} заключать (ru) impf (zaključatʹ), ^{(please verify)} делать вывод (ru) (delatʹ vyvod) <--! Was under: "(intransitive) to draw a conclusion (by reasoning)" -->
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} argüir (es), ^{(please verify)} inferir (es)

Anagrams

• finer, frine

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈin.fer/, [ˈĩːfɛr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈin.fer/, [ˈiɱfer]

Verb

(deprecated template usage) īnfer

1. second-person singular present active imperative of īnferō

References

• “infer”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• infer in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.