Nearby Words

inferring

[in-fur] Example Sentences Origin

in·fer

[in-fur] verb, -ferred, -fer·ring.
verb (used with object)
1.
to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence: They inferred his displeasure from his cool tone of voice.
2.
(of facts, circumstances, statements, etc.) to indicate or involve as a conclusion; lead to.
3.
to guess; speculate; surmise.
4.
to hint; imply; suggest.
verb (used without object)
5.
to draw a conclusion, as by reasoning.

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Inferring is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

Origin:
1520–30; < Latin inferre, equivalent to in- in-2 + ferre to bring, carry, bear1

in·fer·a·ble, in·fer·i·ble, in·fer·ri·ble, adjective
in·fer·a·bly, adverb
in·fer·rer, noun
mis·in·fer, verb, -ferred, -fer·ring.
non·in·fer·a·ble, adjective
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non·in·fer·a·b·ly, adverb
pre·in·fer, verb (used with object), -ferred, -fer·ring.
qua·si-in·ferred, adjective
re·in·fer, verb (used with object), -ferred, -fer·ring.
sub·in·fer, verb, -ferred, -fer·ring.
su·per·in·fer, verb (used with object), -ferred, -fer·ring.
un·in·fer·a·ble, adjective
un·in·fer·a·b·ly, adverb
un·in·ferred, adjective
un·in·fer·ri·ble, adjective
un·in·fer·ri·b·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE

imply, infer (see usage note at the current entry).


1. deduce, reason, guess.


Infer has been used to mean “to hint or suggest” since the 16th century by speakers and writers of unquestioned ability and eminence: The next speaker criticized the proposal, inferring that it was made solely to embarrass the government. Despite its long history, many 20th-century usage guides condemn the use, maintaining that the proper word for the intended sense is imply and that to use infer is to lose a valuable distinction between the two words.EXPAND
Although the claimed distinction has probably existed chiefly in the pronouncements of usage guides, and although the use of infer to mean “to suggest” usually produces no ambiguity, the distinction too has a long history and is widely observed by many speakers and writers.

COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To inferring
Example Sentences
  • Some children will have trouble inferring meanings from the untranslated dialogue.
  • For example, to teach argument by sign, the textbook example is seeing smoke and inferring fire.
  • But economists are at no special advantage at detecting these patterns by inferring preferences from behavior.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

infer
1520s, from L. inferre "bring into, cause," from in- "in" + ferre "carry, bear," from PIE *bher- (1) "to bear, to carry, to take" (cf. Skt. bharati "carries;" Avestan baraiti "carries;" O.Pers. barantiy "they carry;" Armenian berem "I carry;" Gk. pherein "to carry;" O.Ir. beru/berim "I catch, I bring
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forth;" Goth. bairan "to carry;" O.E., O.H.G. beran, O.N. bera "barrow;" O.C.S. birati "to take;" Rus. brat' "to take," bremya "a burden"). Sense of "draw a conclusion" is first attested 1520s.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
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