Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be āsatanic.ā However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
INFER
understand, infer
(verb) believe to be the case; āI understand you have no previous experience?ā
guess, infer
(verb) guess correctly; solve by guessing; āHe guessed the right number of beans in the jar and won the prizeā
deduce, infer, deduct, derive
(verb) reason by deduction; establish by deduction
deduce, infer
(verb) conclude by reasoning; in logic
generalize, generalise, extrapolate, infer
(verb) draw from specific cases for more general cases
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
infer (third-person singular simple present infers, present participle inferring, simple past and past participle inferred)
(transitive) To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence. [from 16th c.]
(transitive) To lead to (something) as a consequence; to imply. (Now often considered incorrect, especially with a person as subject.) [from 16th c.]
(obsolete) To cause, inflict (something) upon or to someone. [16th-18th c.]
(obsolete) To introduce (a subject) in speaking, writing etc.; to bring in. [16thā18th c.]
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.
Synonyms
• assume, conclude, deduce, educe, construe
Anagrams
• finer, frine
Source: Wiktionary
In*fer", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Inferred; p. pr. & vb. n. Inferring.] Etym: [L. inferre to bring into, bring forward, occasion, infer; pref. in- in + ferre to carry, bring: cf. F. infƩrer. See 1 st Bear.]
1. To bring on; to induce; to occasion. [Obs.] Harvey.
2. To offer, as violence. [Obs.] Spenser.
3. To bring forward, or employ as an argument; to adduce; to allege; to offer. [Obs.] Full well hath Clifford played the orator, Inferring arguments of mighty force. Shak.
4. To derive by deduction or by induction; to conclude or surmise from facts or premises; to accept or derive, as a consequence, conclusion, or probability; to imply; as, I inferred his determination from his silence. To infer is nothing but by virtue of one proposition laid down as true, to draw in another as true. Locke. Such opportunities always infer obligations. Atterbury.
5. To show; to manifest; to prove. [Obs.] The first part is not the proof of the second, but rather contrariwise, the second inferreth well the first. Sir T. More. This doth infer the zeal I had to see him. Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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22 February 2025
ANALYSIS
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., āthe father of the brideā instead of āthe brideās fatherā
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