deduce

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɪˈdʒuːs/ See IPA manual

Freq #26145

Meanings

1

verb
To work something out by reasoning from the facts you have.

From the muddy footprints, she deduced that someone had come in through the garden.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to work something out by... conclude infer

Word family

Forms deduceddeducesdeducing

Derived forms deducementdeducibility deduciblededucingdeducivenondeducibleundeducedundeducible

Related forms adduceadductionconducive conduct conduction deducible deduct deductible deductiondeductionaldeductive deductively

Simplified etymology

Deduce entered English in the late Middle English period and belongs to a group of words derived from Latin ducere, “to lead.” The source explains it as drawing a conclusion from something.

Etymology

From Late Middle English deducen (“to demonstrate, prove, show; to argue, infer; to bring, lead; to turn (something) to a use; to deduct”), borrowed from Latin dēdūcere, the present active infinitive of dēdūcō (“to lead or bring out or away; to accompany, conduct, escort; (figuratively) to derive, discover, deduce”); from dē- (prefix meaning ‘from, away from’) + dūcere (the present active infinitive of dūcō (“to conduct, guide, lead; to draw, pull; to consider, regard, think”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to lead; to draw, pull”)).

*dewk- Proto-Indo-European deducen Middle English dēdūcere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# deduce

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈdʒuːs/
**Frequency rank:** 26145

## Meanings
1. To work something out by reasoning from the facts you have.

## Examples
- From the muddy footprints, she deduced that someone had come in through the garden.

## Derived Forms
- deducement
- deducibility
- deducible
- deducing
- deducive
- nondeducible
- undeduced
- undeducible

## Related Forms
- adduce
- adduction
- conducive
- conduct
- conduction
- deducible
- deduct
- deductible
- deduction
- deductional
- deductive
- deductively

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *dewk-
- Root: deducen
- Root: dēdūcere

## Etymology
From Late Middle English deducen (“to demonstrate, prove, show; to argue, infer; to bring, lead; to turn (something) to a use; to deduct”), borrowed from Latin dēdūcere, the present active infinitive of dēdūcō (“to lead or bring out or away; to accompany, conduct, escort; (figuratively) to derive, discover, deduce”); from dē- (prefix meaning ‘from, away from’) + dūcere (the present active infinitive of dūcō (“to conduct, guide, lead; to draw, pull; to consider, regard, think”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to lead; to draw, pull”)).

## AI Etymology
deduce comes from Late Middle English deducen (“to demonstrate, prove, show; to argue, infer; to bring, lead; to turn (something) to a use; to deduct”), borrowed from Latin dēdūcere, the present active infinitive of dēdūcō (“to lead or bring out or away; to accompany, conduct, escort; (figuratively) to derive, discover, deduce”); from dē- (prefix meaning ‘from, away from’) + dūcere (the present active infinitive of dūcō (“to conduct, guide, lead; to draw, pull; to consider, regard, think”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to lead; to draw, pull”)). The current sense is to work something out by reasoning from the facts you have. English relatives and later formations include deducement, deducibility, deducible, adduce, adduction.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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