educe

American  

[ih-doos, ih-dyoos] / ɪˈdus, ɪˈdjus /

verb (used with object)

• educes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• educed,
  past participle,  past
• educing
  present participle

1. to draw forth or bring out, as something potential or latent; elicit; develop.

2. to infer or deduce.

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educe British  

/ ɪˈdjuːs, ɪˈdʌktɪv /

verb

1. to evolve or develop, esp from a latent or potential state

2. to draw out or elicit (information, solutions, etc)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• educible
  adjective
• eductive
  adjective
• uneduced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• educing
  present
• educed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• educe
  simple
• educes
  simple
• have educed
  perfect
• has educed
  perfect
• am educing
  progressive
• are educing
  progressive
• is educing
  progressive
• have been educing
  perfect progressive
• has been educing
  perfect progressive

Past

• educed
  simple
• had educed
  perfect
• was educing
  progressive
• were educing
  progressive
• had been educing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will educe
  simple
• will have educed
  perfect
• will be educing
  progressive
• will have been educing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of educe

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin ēdūcere, equivalent to ē- e- ¹ + dūcere to lead

Explanation

When you educe you first see the potential in something and then develop it. An artist sketching on scratch paper might later educe a painting from the casual sketches. Educe can also be used as a synonym for deduce, meaning "to reach a conclusion." Suppose members of a jury have to decide whether someone is guilty of stealing. They use the facts in the case to educe the thief's motivation. Educe comes from the Latin word ducere, meaning "lead." Think of educe as leading to something else.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

educe educes educed educing

Every song in her discographical universe matters, and any surprise song she chooses will invariably educe outpourings of jubilation.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2023

I think that there should’ve been more discussion of what we educe from his philosophy about these issues of privacy and personal liberty that appear discussed at length in his book.

From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2017

He spreads them out, classifies them; then pores, probes, weighs, analyzes, to educe both a composite picture of the author and a meticulous evaluation of the cumulus itself.

From Time Magazine Archive

He prefers it on account of the great good he intends to educe from it.

From A Theodicy, or, Vindication of the Divine Glory by Albert Taylor Bledsoe

The methods of Providence often educe choicest good from most direful evils.

From Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism by Allen Putnam

Because terrorism educes such strong emotions, it has led to at least five myths.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 19, 2013

Mr. Crowther, a skilled publicist, lengthily educes the candidate's fitness for office from his record in other offices.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is no answer to this question to suggest that war educes many splendid qualities.

From Armageddon—And After by W. L. (William Leonard) Courtney

His pontificate, however, was not without its use; since that Providence, which still educes good from evil, made the scandal, which it occasioned to the Christian world, a principal spring of the glorious Reformation.

From The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic — Volume 3 by William Hickling Prescott

The Mogul is indeed an educational establishment, but unfortunately it educes the wrong set of faculties. 

From The Night Side of London by J. Ewing (James Ewing) Ritchie

In 2013, the Serbian player Viktor Troicki was given an 18-month ban, which was later educed to 12 months, for declining a blood test at a tournament.

From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2018

He educed a knowing chuckle from the inscrutable Mona Lisa, and screwed up his rubbery face with Chaplinesque glee as Baby Doll rolled out of her famed crib.

From Time Magazine Archive

I recalled what I could of how I had been educed, at age twelve.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

And it was the emotion educed from this conversation that revealed to me how these women had abandoned their life in America without regret.

From Captain Macedoine's Daughter by William McFee

It was one of the many great ideas he imported into, or educed from, the old Persian Astronomer.

From Tennyson and His Friends by Various

As a straight actor, he has the uncanny knack of educing raw emotions from himself and his audience.

From Time Magazine Archive

There are more than ten padres engaged in the establishment, and as many sisters, and all find plenty of occupation in educing from native crania the fire of intelligence.

From How I Found Livingstone; travels, adventures, and discoveres in Central Africa, including an account of four months' residence with Dr. Livingstone, by Henry M. Stanley by Henry M. (Henry Morton) Stanley

A debater may want for his argument less than the strict equivalent, and content himself with educing this much from his opponent's admission.

From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by William Minto

This etymology has, I confess, a very great resemblance to the Millerian mode of educing Cucumber from Jeremiah King; but it is the most plausible which occurs at present to L. Kennaquhair.

From Notes and Queries, Number 19, March 9, 1850 by Various

Natural selection holds that no such change can take place without the influence of altered external circumstances educing or eliciting such change.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 15 — Science by Sir John Alexander Hammerton