Etymograph

English

inductive

Inductive comes from Late Latin inductivus ‘relating to an assumption’, from Latin indūcō ‘lead, bring in’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- ‘to pull, to draw’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dewk-‘to pull, to draw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*déwkti‘to pull, to draw’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*doukō‘to lead’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdūcō‘lead’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEindūcō‘lead, bring in’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinductivus‘relating to an assumption’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600inductif
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1667inductive

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dewk-‘to pull, to draw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*déwkti‘to pull, to draw’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*doukō‘to lead’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdūcō‘lead’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEindūcō‘lead, bring in’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinductivus‘relating to an assumption’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600inductif
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1667inductive

Earliest quotation: 1667, John Milton, Book X: “A brutish vice, / Inductive mainly to the sin…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dewk- ‘to pull, to draw’

team, touch, toy, tie, introduce, tow, tug, tying, duchess, tighten, tuck, herzog, tether, taut, tew, untie, teem, 97 more

through Proto-Indo-European *déwkti ‘to pull, to draw’

unproductive, abductor, productively, preproduction, 95 more

through Proto-Italic *doukō ‘to lead’

producer, productivity, productive, reproduce, reproduction, conductor, deduction, seduction, byproduct, deduct, conduction, subduction, transduction, abduct, dukedom, reductive, adductor, overproduction, ductile, adduct, 99 more

through Latin dūcō ‘lead’

education, production, produce, product, reduce, duke, introduction, conduct, reduction, educate, dolphin, conn, educator, douche, doge, duct, subdue, seduce, duchy, transducer, redux, conducive, cond, redoubt, duc, dux, duce, ducal, 119 more

Today it means

adj Of, or relating to logical induction, by generalizing a universal claim or principle from the observed particular instances.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dewk- / inductive

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