illation — English Dictionary

Noun

1. The act of inferring or concluding, especially from a set of premises; a conclusion, a deduction.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   determinationergotismverdict

   Related words

   illative

   Examples

   Now herein there seems to be a very erroneous Illation: from the Indulgence of God unto Cain, concluding an immunity unto himself […]

   More examples (2)

   it so orders the intermediate Ideas, as to discover what Connection there is in each Link of the Chain, whereby the Extreams are held together; and thereby, as it were, to draw into View the Truth sought for, which is what we call Illation or Inference […]

   Adriaan moved to Pierce’s American illation whereby an if begets a therefore, event by event, the javelin’s flight issuing from the web of contingencies in which we may locate the javelin and the javelineer […]

Noun

1. the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation

   Synonyms

   inference

   Broader terms

   reasoninglogical thinkingabstract thought