Main Entry: in·duc·tion

Pronunciation: \in-ˈdək-shən\

Function: noun

1 : the act of causing or bringing on or about <induction of labor> ; specifically : the establishment of the initial state of anesthesia often with an agent other than that used subsequently to maintain the anesthetic state
2 : the process by which an electrical conductor becomes electrified when near a charged body, by which a magnetizable body becomes magnetized when in a magnetic field or in the magnetic flux set up by a magnetomotive force, or by which an electromotive force is produced in a circuit by varying the magnetic field linked with the circuit
3 a : arousal of a part or area (as of the retina) by stimulation of an adjacent part or area b : the process by which the fate of embryonic cells is determined (as by the action of adjacent cells) and morphogenetic differentiation brought about

—in·duct \in-ˈdəkt\ transitive verb