Meanings
plural illations
- countableuncountableThe act of inferring or concluding, especially from a set of premises; a conclusion, a deduction.
Now herein there seems to be a very erroneous Illation: from the Indulgence of God unto Cain, concluding an immunity unto himself […]
1650, Thomas Browne, chapter I, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 1st book, page 22 more examples
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 […]
1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLCAdriaan 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 […]
1974, Guy Davenport, Tatlin!Synonyms: determination, ergotism, verdict, award, censure, choice, opinion, conclusion
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe act of inferring or concluding, especially from a set of premises; a conclusion, a deduction.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe 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
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinillātiō“logical inference, deduction, conclusion”
- Englishillation
From Latin illātiō (“logical inference, deduction, conclusion”), from illātus, perfect passive participle of inferō (“carry or bring into somewhere; conclude”), from in + ferō (“bear, carry; suffer”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian заключение, извод
- заключение (zaključenie)action of concluding or inferring
- извод (izvod)action of concluding or inferring
Chinese Mandarin 演繹 /演绎, 推論 /推论
- 演繹 /演绎 (yǎnyì)action of concluding or inferring
- 推論 /推论 (tuīlùn)action of concluding or inferring
- 推定 (tuīdìng)action of concluding or inferring
French illation
- illationaction of concluding or inferring
German Schlussfolgerung, Herleitung
- Schlussfolgerungaction of concluding or inferring
- Herleitungaction of concluding or inferring
Hungarian következtetés
- következtetésaction of concluding or inferring
Japanese 推定
- 推定 (suitei)action of concluding or inferring
Polish indukcja, dedukcja
- indukcjaaction of concluding or inferring
- dedukcjaaction of concluding or inferring
Portuguese ilação
- ilaçãoaction of concluding or inferring
Russian вы́вод, заключе́ние
- вы́вод (vývod)action of concluding or inferring
- заключе́ние (zaključénije)action of concluding or inferring
- умозаключе́ние (umozaključénije)action of concluding or inferring
Spanish deducción
- deducciónaction of concluding or inferring
Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
illation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illation
“illation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “illation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illation.
Source: illation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.