deduce

Contents

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin deducere (“lead from or concerning”), from de- (“of, concerning”) + ducere (“lead”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈdjuːs/, IPA^(key): /dɪˈdʒuːs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /dɪˈduːs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːs

Verb

deduce (third-person singular simple present deduces, present participle deducing, simple past and past participle deduced)

1. (transitive) To reach a conclusion by applying rules of logic to given premises.
   • Alexander Pope

     O goddess, say, shall I deduce my rhymes / From the dire nation in its early times?

   • John Locke

     Reasoning is nothing but the faculty of deducing unknown truths from principles already known.

   • Sir Walter Scott

     See what regard will be paid to the pedigree which deduces your descent from kings and conquerors.

2. (obsolete) To take away; to deduct; to subtract.

   to deduce a part from the whole

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

3. (obsolete, Latinism) To lead forth.
   • Selden

     He should hither deduce a colony.

Usage notes

• For example, from the premises "all good people believe in the tooth fairy" and "Jimmy does not believe in the tooth fairy", we deduce the conclusion "Jimmy is not a good person". This particular form of deduction is called a syllogism. Note that in this case we reach a false conclusion by correct deduction from a false premise.

Synonyms

• (reach a conclusion by applying rules of logic): conclude, infer

Antonyms

• (reach a conclusion by applying rules of logic): induce

Related terms

terms related to "deduce"

• adduce
• conduct
• conducive
• deduct
• deduction
• duke
• induce

• introduce
• reduce
• reduction
• seduce
• subduction
• transduce

Translations

reach conclusion by logic

• Arabic: إِسْتَنْتَجَ‎ (ʾistantaja)
• Bulgarian: заключавам (bg) (zaključavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 演繹 (zh), 演绎 (zh) (yǎnyì), 推理 (zh) (tuīlǐ), 推斷 (zh), 推断 (zh) (tuīduàn)

• Czech: vyvodit
• Dutch: afleiden (nl), deduceren (nl)
• Finnish: johtaa (fi), päätellä (fi), vetää johtopäätös
• French: déduire (fr)
• German: folgern (de), ableiten (de), herleiten (de)

• Interlingua: deducer
• Italian: dedurre (it)
• Maori: hīkaro
• Mizo: chhuidawn
• Persian: استنتاج کردن‎
• Portuguese: deduzir (pt)
• Russian: де́лать вы́вод (ru) impf (délatʹ vývod), сде́лать вы́вод pf (sdélatʹ vývod)
• Spanish: deducir (es)
• Swedish: deducera (sv), härleda (sv)

Anagrams

• deuced, educed

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Italian

Verb

deduce

1. Third-person singular indicative present of dedurre.

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Latin

Verb

dēdūce

1. second-person singular present active imperative of dēdūcō

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin deducere, French déduire, with conjugation based on duce.

Verb

a deduce (third-person singular present deduce, past participle dedus) 3rd conj.

1. (transitive) to infer, deduce (to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence)

Conjugation

    conjugation of deduce (third conjugation, past participle in -s)

infinitive			a deduce
gerund			deducând
past participle			dedus
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	deduc	deduci	deduce	deducem	deduceți	deduc
	imperfect	deduceam	deduceai	deducea	deduceam	deduceați	deduceau
	simple perfect	dedusei	deduseși	deduse	deduserăm	deduserăți	deduseră
	pluperfect	dedusesem	deduseseși	dedusese	deduseserăm	deduseserăți	deduseseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să deduc	să deduci	să deducă	să deducem	să deduceți	să deducă
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		dedu			deduceți
	negative		nu deduce			nu deduceți

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Spanish

Verb

deduce

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of deducir.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of deducir.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of deducir.