deduces

Deduces is the third-person singular present tense of the verb deduce. Deduce means to arrive at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence or premises.

Etymology: deduce comes from Latin deducere, meaning “to lead away,” formed from de- “away” and ducere “to lead,” and entered English via Old French and Middle English.

Usage and nuance: In logic and science, deduction is the process of deriving a conclusion that logically follows from given premises. Deduces is used when the subject performs that process. In everyday language, deduce and infer are often used interchangeably, but deduce emphasizes deriving a conclusion from evidence, whereas infer highlights the conclusion drawn by someone from that evidence.

Examples: The detective deduces the thief’s escape route from footprints and broken twigs. The researchers deduce a causal link from the experimental results.

See also: deduction, inference, reasoning.