The act of inferring or concluding, especially from a set of premises; a conclusion, a deduction.
1646, (w), Pseudodoxia Epidemica, I.2:
Now herein there seems to be a very erroneous Illation: from the Indulgence of God unto Cain, concluding an immunity unto himself ....
1690, (w), An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding:
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....
1974, (w), Tatlin!:
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 ....