An inference is a conclusion you reach by using evidence and reasoning, not by being directly told. It’s what you figure out from clues.
It comes from Latin “inferre,” meaning “to bring in” or “to carry in,” from “in-” (into) and “ferre” (to carry). The idea developed into “bringing in” a conclusion from the facts.
Making an inference is like being a detective: you never see the crime happen, but you piece it together from what’s left behind. In reading tests, “What can you infer?” questions secretly measure how well you can think, not just how well you can remember. The word captures that quiet mental leap from evidence to idea.
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