Induced

How to spell induced

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce induced

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does induced mean?

1. verbPast tense of induce: to have brought something about, or to have persuaded someone to act.
2. adjectiveBrought about deliberately or as a side effect, rather than occurring naturally.

Induced in a sentence

• verb

  The obstetrician induced labour two weeks ahead of the due date.

• adjective

  The coil produced a small induced current whenever the magnet moved.

• verb

  The generous bonus induced several staff to stay another year.

• adjective

  Economists warned that the cheaper fares created a wave of induced demand for travel.

Where does induced come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past form of 'induce', which English took from the Latin verb inducere, meaning literally 'to lead in' or 'to bring on'. That verb joins the prefix in-, meaning 'in' or 'into', to ducere, meaning 'to lead', a root that English speakers also meet in 'conduct', 'reduce', 'produce', and even 'duke'. The word arrived in the late 1300s by way of Old French, at first carrying the sense of persuading or prevailing upon someone to act. Over time it gathered the extra meaning of bringing something about or causing it to happen, which is why a doctor can speak of induced labour and a physicist of an induced current. The silent 'c' before the soft -ed ending, plus the 'duc' spelling that sounds like 'duce', are the small traps to watch.

How the word is built

• in- (in, into)
• duc (from Latin ducere: to lead)
• -ed (past tense/participle)