The act of figuring out or concluding something by using logic and reasoning from information you already know.
Present participle of 'deduce,' from Latin 'deducere' (to lead down/away). The medieval and Renaissance scholars used this term when describing logical reasoning—taking premises and leading them toward a conclusion.
Deduction is how Sherlock Holmes works—you start with observable facts and 'lead' your reasoning toward the criminal, which is literally what the Latin word means: leading your thoughts downward to a conclusion.
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