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Construe vs Deduce - What's the difference?

construe | deduce |

As verbs the difference between construe and deduce

is that construe is to interpret or explain the meaning of something while deduce is to reach a conclusion by applying rules of logic to given premises.

As a noun construe

is a translation.

construe

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A translation.
  • An interpretation.
  • Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To interpret or explain the meaning of something.
  • The world must construe''' according to its wits; this court must '''construe according to the law.
    , 1954
  • (grammar) To analyze the grammatical structure of a clause or sentence.
  • *
  • Thus, in a sentence such as:
    (113)      John considers [S Fred'' to be too sure of ''himself'']
    the italicised Reflexive ''himself'' can only be construed''' with ''Fred'', not with ''John'': this follows from our assumption that non-subject Reflexives must have an antecedent within their own S. Notice, however, that in a sentence such as:
    (114)      ''John'' seems to me [S — to have perjured ''himself'']
    ''himself'' must be '''construed
    with ''John
    .
  • To translate.
  • Derived terms

    * construction * misconstrue

    Anagrams

    * * * * ----

    deduce

    English

    Verb

  • To reach a conclusion by applying rules of logic to given premises.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • O goddess, say, shall I deduce my rhymes / From the dire nation in its early times?
  • * John Locke
  • Reasoning is nothing but the faculty of deducing unknown truths from principles already known.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
  • See what regard will be paid to the pedigree which deduces your descent from kings and conquerors.
  • (obsolete) To take away; to deduct; to subtract.
  • to deduce a part from the whole
    (Ben Jonson)
  • (obsolete, Latinism) To lead forth.
  • * Selden
  • He should hither deduce a colony.

    Usage notes

    For example, from the premises "all good people believe in the tooth fairy" and "Jimmy does not believe in the tooth fairy", we deduce the conclusion "Jimmy is not a good person". This particular form of deduction is called a syllogism. Note that in this case we reach a false conclusion by correct deduction from a false premise.

    Antonyms

    * (reach a conclusion by applying rules of logic)

    Synonyms

    * (reach a conclusion by applying rules of logic)

    Anagrams

    * * ----