deduce

[dih-doos, -dyoos] /dɪˈdus, -ˈdyus/

verb (used with object), deduced, deducing.

to derive as a conclusion from something known or assumed; infer:

From the evidence the detective deduced that the gardener had done it.

to trace the derivation of; trace the course of:

to deduce one's lineage.

Origin

1520-30; < Latin dēdūcere to lead down, derive, equivalent to dē- de- + dūcere to lead, bring

Related forms

deducible, adjective

deducibility, deducibleness, noun

deducibly, adverb

nondeducible, adjective

subdeducible, adjective

undeduced, adjective

undeducible, adjective

Can be confused

adduce, deduce, induce.

deduce, deduct.

deducible, deductible.

Synonyms

1. conclude, reason, gather, determine.

Examples from the web for deduce

But listening to it is like trying to deduce all of Bach from a single sonata.
His voice adds a level of immanency that a reader might not deduce from reading it alone.
But they were not able to deduce what exactly they had produced.
While short in geologic terms, that's enough to deduce climate trends.
Then the characters deduce, for example, what kinds of food different dinosaurs eat by examining their mouths and teeth.
The scientists deduce that the surface features of Mars are much older than they had suspected — perhaps five billion years old.
Students can deduce how a class is going to shape up simply from the elements of the syllabus itself.
From the pattern of repeated images, one could deduce the universe's true size and shape.
If you're good at math, you should therefore be able to deduce how many clock hours the actual reading takes.
If the monkey can consistently learn to grab the green ball, it is logical to deduce that he can tell red and green apart.

British Dictionary definitions for deduce

deduce

/dɪˈdjuːs/

verb (transitive)

(may take a clause as object) to reach (a conclusion about something) by reasoning; conclude (that); infer

(archaic) to trace the origin, course, or derivation of

Derived Forms

deducible, adjective
deducibility, deducibleness, noun

Word Origin

C15: from Latin dēdūcere to lead away, derive, from de- + dūcere to lead

Word Origin and History for deduce

early 15c., from Latin deducere "lead down, derive" (in Medieval Latin, "infer logically"), from de- "down" (see de-) + ducere "to lead" (see duke (n.)). Originally literal; sense of "draw a conclusion from something already known" is first recorded 1520s, from Medieval Latin. Related: Deduced; deducing.