*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of infer

From Latin inferō, from Latin in- (“in, at, on; into”) + Latin ferō (“bear, carry; suffer”) (cognate to Old English beran, whence English bear), from Proto-Italic *ferō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti (“to bear, carry

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence. · To lead to (something) as a consequence; to imply. · To cause, inflict (something) upon or to someone. · To introduce (a subject) in speaking, writing etc.; to bring in, to adduce.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin inferō, from Latin in- (“in, at, on; into”) + Latin ferō (“bear, carry; suffer”) (cognate to Old English beran, whence English bear), from Proto-Italic *ferō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti (“to bear, carry”), from the root *bʰer-. Literally “carry forward”, equivalent to “bear in”, as in concluding from a premise. Doublet of inbear.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰer-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "inferō"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin inferō"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "in-",
        "id": "in",
        "gloss": "in, at, on; into"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin in- (“in, at, on; into”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "ferō",
        "gloss": "bear, carry; suffer"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ferō (“bear, carry; suffer”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "beran"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English beran"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "itc-pro",
        "3": "*ferō"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Italic *ferō"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰéreti",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to bear, carry"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti (“to bear, carry”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inbear"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of inbear"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "inferō",
      "infero#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "in-",
      "in-#Latin:_in"
    ],
    [
      "ferō",
      "fero#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "beran",
      "beran#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bear",
      "bear#English"
    ],
    [
      "*ferō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/ferō"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰéreti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰéreti"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰer-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰer-"
    ],
    [
      "inbear",
      "inbear#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence.",
        "To lead to (something) as a consequence; to imply.",
        "To cause, inflict (something) upon or to someone.",
        "To introduce (a subject) in speaking, writing etc.; to bring in, to adduce."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "often",
        "proscribed",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "43d197742a9f5c045ae99f74ea201d06bd3ebdc3bdf87bc5ab026ba646a60b80",
      "rawRecordSha256": "50c45acce3d375e72133ad221b63f1fc51a9ba110a1aad201475b2f3655d42e2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 31310
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for infer →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aW5mZXI