Main Entry: in·fer·ence

Pronunciation: \ˈin-f(ə-)rən(t)s, -fərn(t)s\

Function: noun

Date: 1594

1 : the act or process of inferring: as a : the act of passing from one proposition, statement, or judgment considered as true to another whose truth is believed to follow from that of the former b : the act of passing from statistical sample data to generalizations (as of the value of population parameters) usually with calculated degrees of certainty
2 : something that is inferred; especially : a proposition arrived at by inference
3 : the premises and conclusion of a process of inferring