indurre

Indurre is an Italian verb that means to lead into something, to cause, or to persuade someone to do something. It is used in a broad range of contexts, from everyday speech to technical language. The sense of bringing about an effect can apply to actions, conditions, and phenomena, while the sense of persuading involves encouraging someone to adopt a belief or to take a specific action. In scientific and technical language, induzione terms appear as well, for example in physics and biology, where a process is said to be “indotto” or “induzione” of a current, a reaction, or a phenomenon.

Etymology and usage. Indurre derives from Latin inducere, literally “to lead in.” In Italian it commonly occurs with a direct object referring to the person or thing being persuaded or led, followed by a to-infinitive: indurre qualcuno a fare qualcosa. It can also be followed by a noun phrase: indurre in errore (to mislead), indurre un cambiamento (to induce a change). In more formal or logical language, induzione can mean to infer or deduce from premises.

Conjugation and forms. Indurre is a regular -ere verb with the present indicative forms: io induco, tu induci, lui/lei induce, noi induciamo, voi inducete, loro inducono. The past participle is indotto, used with avere in compound tenses (ho indotto). The gerund is inducendo.

Medical and legal usage. Medically, one can indurre il parto, meaning to induce labor. In legal and ethical contexts, “indurre al suicidio” refers to inciting or inducing someone to commit suicide.

Examples. “La campagna pubblicitaria induce molti consumatori ad acquistare il prodotto.” “L’analisi induce a rivedere la teoria.” “Il medico ha indotto il parto con l’uso di farmaci.”