Infer

Infer is a verb meaning to derive a conclusion from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements. The word comes from Latin inferre, “to bring in,” via Old French inférer, and in modern English it denotes a mental process performed by a listener or reader who uses clues to reach a conclusion. It is often contrasted with imply, which is what a speaker suggests without stating directly.

In everyday language, people infer things from facts, observations, or contexts. For example, seeing cloudy skies and wet streets might lead someone to infer that it rained recently, even if there was no direct statement about the weather.

In logic and philosophy, inference refers to the process of deriving a conclusion from given premises using rules of inference. Major forms of reasoning include deduction (conclusions that follow necessarily from premises), induction (generalizations from particular instances), and abduction (inference to the best explanation). An inference is valid when the conclusion logically follows from the premises.

In science and computer science, inference also describes drawing conclusions from data, observations, or models. In programming and type systems, the term appears as a technical concept: an infer operation or keyword used to determine a type or value based on another type, such as inferring types in certain conditional type constructs.

In summary, infer denotes drawing a conclusion from evidence or reasoning, while inference is the noun form describing the act or result of this process. It is distinct from implying what is stated directly, though related as complementary elements of communication and reasoning.