How are logistics and logic related?

Logistics follows the same pattern of other plural nouns—such as ballistics, linguistics, statistics, or physics—that represent fields of study and take either a singular or plural verb.

Logic, used strictly in the singular, is a science that deals with the formal principles of reason. If a visitor walks in the house with a wet umbrella, it is logical for one to assume that it is raining outside. Logistics, which involves such concerns as the delivery of personnel or supplies in an efficient manner, can often employ logic, such as by reasoning out the path least likely to interrupt the flow of a delivery:

As with many other areas of the economy, the digital revolution is having a profound effect on delivery logistics. The combination of mobile computing, analytics, and cloud services, all of which are fueled by the Internet of Things (IoT), is changing how delivery and fulfillment companies are conducting their operations.
—Andrew Meola, Business Insider, 14 Oct. 2016

Both logic and logistics ultimately derive from the Greek logos, meaning "reason." But while logic derives directly from Greek, logistics took a longer route, first passing into French as logistique, meaning "art of calculating," and then into English from there.

Examples of logistics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And there are the logistics involved in the numbers of children and families needing help. — Hartford Courant, 6 May 2022 Russia said its cruise missiles had hit a logistics center at a military airfield near Odesa. — New York Times, 3 May 2022 There are still logistics about teams putting players’ names in the portal, and players have a chance to withdraw, but by the end of this week, college football should have a handle on player movement for this season. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, 2 May 2022 There, some more of his good acquaintances collect all the Starlinks and send them to Lviv to our logistics center. — NBC News, 29 Apr. 2022 The second issue that has plagued the Russians is logistics. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022 Philip Burton, president and CEO of Burton Property Group and developer of SALP, said his firm’s focus is on marketing the logistics center that is expected to encompass a whopping 1,400 acres and include 12 million square feet of industry space. — John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 12 Apr. 2022 There’s going to be transportation logistics that will probably have to be refined a little bit after the fact. — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2022 Russia’s military was built for quick, overwhelming firepower, experts say, but its weakness is logistics. — Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'logistics.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.