Word of the Day

: October 22, 2020

adduce

verb uh-DOOSS

What It Means

: to offer as example, reason, or proof in discussion or analysis

adduce in Context

"She was tranquil, yet her tranquility was evidently constrained; and as her confusion had before been adduced as a proof of her guilt, she worked up her mind to an appearance of courage." — Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818

"His story proper begins in 1833, with pre-war productions of Othello, but earlier examples could easily have been adduced that would only have strengthened his case. On 3 April, 1760, for example, a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, advertised a production of Othello to be staged the following week…. — Sarah Churchwell, The New Statesman, 11 Mar. 2020

Did You Know?

We won't lead you astray over the history of adduce; it is one of a plethora of familiar words that trace to the Latin root dūcere, which means "to lead." Perhaps we can induce you to deduce a few other dūcere offspring if we offer a few hints about them. One is a synonym of kidnap, one's a title for a British royal, and one's another word for decrease. There are your leads; here are the answers. They are abduct, duke, and reduce, respectively. There are also many others, including induce, which means "to persuade" or "to bring about."