Definition of induction
1a
: the act or process of inducting (as into office)
b
: the formality by which a civilian is inducted into military service
c
: an initial experience : initiation
2a(1)
: inference of a generalized conclusion from particular instances — compare deduction sense 2a
(2)
: a conclusion arrived at by induction
b
: mathematical demonstration of the validity of a law concerning all the positive integers by proving that it holds for the integer 1 and that if it holds for an arbitrarily chosen positive integer k, it must hold for the integer k + 1
— called also mathematical induction
3a
: 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
b
: the inspiration of the fuel-air charge from the carburetor into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine
c
: the process by which the fate of embryonic cells is determined (as by the action of adjacent cells) and morphogenetic differentiation brought about
4a
: the act of bringing forward or adducing something (such as facts or particulars)
b
: the act of causing or bringing on or about
5
: a preface, prologue, or introductory scene especially of an early English play
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for induction
The first known use of induction was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century