Conduct

How to spell conduct

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce conduct

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does conduct mean?

1. verbTo organise and carry out an activity, or to lead and direct something.
2. nounThe manner in which a person behaves, especially in a formal or professional setting.
3. verbTo allow heat, electricity, or another form of energy to pass through a material.

Conduct in a sentence

• verb

  The agency will conduct a survey of local residents next month.

• noun

  The company published a code of conduct for all employees.

• verb

  Copper wires conduct electricity far better than steel ones.

• verb

  Investigators plan to conduct a full review of the accounts.

• noun

  His conduct during the hearing was calm and respectful.

• verb

  These ceramic tiles barely conduct heat, so they stay cool.

Where does conduct come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb conducere, which combined the prefix con-, meaning 'together' or 'thoroughly', with ducere, meaning 'to lead' or 'to draw along'. In Latin it covered the literal act of leading or bringing things together, and also took on commercial senses such as hiring or contracting. English absorbed it in the late 1300s and 1400s, partly through Old French, first in the sense of guiding or escorting and then broadening to managing affairs and directing activity. The same ducere root threads through a whole family of English words, including 'reduce', 'produce', 'introduce' and 'aqueduct', so once you recognise the 'duct' element as 'a leading or carrying', the spelling settles into place. The noun sense, meaning a person's way of behaving, grew from the idea of how one 'leads' or carries oneself. The clean Latin spelling with no doubled letters is reliable; the trap is simply remembering 'duct', the same channel that carries air or water, rather than any phonetic guess.

How the word is built

• con- (together, thoroughly)
• duct (lead, from Latin ducere 'to lead')