inference and reference

[greenhouse]

What is the difference between reference and inference? Please help me to understand what they really mean. Thank you.

I noticed the use of word reference in many different ways and so I am familiar with it more than the word inference. I, recently, came to know the word inference and could not understand the difference between inference and reference.

Although I visited several online dictionaries, I am still confused to understand the basic and simple meaning of the word Inference and reference. What I understand is that the word Inference means coming to a conclusion after observing something based on our knowledge, whereas, reference is referring to something that was found, gained or taken from something else.

 

[jutfrank]

You seem to understand reasonably well.

You're right that reference has a lot more uses than inference. My idea of the basic meaning of reference is that there is a pointing to some kind of (usually previously-identified) information/truth/person/event/thing, etc.

The verb infer is much more limited in use and is usually only used when speaking of logic and reasoning, with the sense of drawing out meaning, (where it is not obvious), from evidence (information which is obvious), by a process of reasoning.