DictionaryRoot: ducere
Latin

ducere

lead, guide, draw along

Forms

  • duc-
  • duct- — Latin stem of the form meaning ‘led.’

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *deuk-, ‘lead.’

Note

Physical leading became a model for guidance and for drawing a conclusion.

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noun

abduction

Reasoning that infers the best explanation from available evidence.

Etymology

Latin abductio means a leading away. Logic gave the word a specialized use for moving from observed facts to a possible explanation, rather than deriving a necessary conclusion.

Full entry

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