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Today it means

deduce

to reach a conclusion by reasoning

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Where does the word "deduce" come from? It comes from Latin deducere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "deduce" come from? It comes from Latin deducere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Deduce’s story begins in Latin: deducere meant “to lead down.” 'de-' plus 'ducere', to lead. It reached English by 1400s as deduce. Sherlock Holmes made 'deduction' famous. Today, deduce means to reach a conclusion by reasoning.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient deducere "to lead down", 'de-' plus 'ducere', to lead.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s deduce "to lead", Sherlock Holmes made 'deduction' famous.

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