découler

Découler is a French verb that primarily means to flow or run, especially liquids. It can also be used in a figurative sense to indicate that something derives from or follows from another thing, i.e., to result or emanate from.

In its core usage, découler describes a physical movement: a liquid or substance that escapes from a source and runs away or out of a container, channel, or opening. In a figurative sense, it is common in formal or analytical writing to say that a conclusion, phenomenon, or consequence “découle de” evidence, data, or prior conditions, meaning it logically derives from them. The phrase is often found in expressions such as “découler de” or “ce qui découle de,” sometimes equivalent to “to follow from,” “to stem from,” or “to result from.”

Etymology and register: the verb is formed from the verb couler (to flow) with the prefix dé-, giving a sense of movement outward or outwardly from a source. It is a standard French verb, more frequent in written, formal, or analytical contexts than in casual speech.

Conjugation and usage notes: découler is a regular -er verb. Present indicative forms include je découle, tu découl es, il découle, nous découLons, vous découlez, ils découlent. It is typically used intransitively, often with de + noun or with a subordinate clause to indicate origin or consequence, for example: “Cela découle de ses choix.” “Ce qui découle de ces résultats est incertain.”

See also: couler, résulter, provenir, dériver.