- Etymology
- Compound of inference + rule. A rule governing derivation.
- Inference
- The process of deriving conclusions from premises.
- Rule
- A prescribed procedure.
- Origin
- Formal logic. Aristotle (syllogism); modern proof theory.
- Meaning
- A rule that derives new propositions from existing ones.
- Earliest use
- Aristotelian syllogism; modern formalization in proof theory.
- Definition
- A rule that derives new propositions from existing ones. Modus ponens, universal instantiation, etc. Together with axioms, defines what is provable.