2928: Deduce / Deduct Dec 27, 2024

Something produced is a product, but ‘deduce’ and ‘deduct’ do not have the same relationship, and notably are both verbs. Both come from the Latin ‘dēdūcere’ (‘to lead away’). Likewise, the sense of ‘induce’ as in to cause and ‘induct’ as in to admit do not seem to correspond. 

The sense of ‘deduce’ comes from a figurative sense thereof of being led from an idea, but also used to have a more general meaning of “infer; argue; prove”. Meanwhile, ‘deduct’ went in a different direction, taking on the meaning of drawing one thing away from another, and then gaining the sense of subtracting (subtract also having come from Latin meaning ‘draw under/ out’). 

Indeed, the amount of Latin-based doublets with completely different meanings, especially with varied prepositions, is immense. Here are just a few from the Latin ‘dūcere’ (to draw; drag):

Reduce

Induce

Produce

Seduce

Deduce/deduct

Abduct

Conduct