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Where does the word "infer" come from? It comes from Latin inferre, and was adopted directly into English (1520s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "infer" come from? It comes from Latin inferre, and was adopted directly into English (1520s).
Infer’s story begins in Latin: inferre meant “to bring in, to carry into.” To bring in, to carry into, from in- (in) and ferre (to carry). It reached English by 1520s as infer. Settled as the English word for reaching a conclusion from evidence. Today, infer means to reach a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning, rather than direct statement.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient inferre "to bring in, to carry into", to bring in, to carry into, from in- (in) and ferre (to carry).
- Stage 2 · English · 1520s infer "to reach a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning", settled as the English word for reaching a conclusion from evidence.