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Origin and history of deduct

deduct(v.)

early 15c., "to take away, separate, or remove in estimating or counting," from Latin deductus, past participle of deducere "lead down, bring away;" see deduce, with which it formerly was interchangeable. Deduct refers to taking away portions or amounts; subtract to taking away numbers. Related: Deducted; deducting.

Deduct is to lead away, set aside, in a general or distributive sense; subtract, to draw off, remove, in a literal or collective sense. In settling a mercantile account, certain items, as charges, losses, etc. are deducted by being added together and their total subtracted from the grand total of the transaction. [Century Dictionary]

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to deduct

deduce(v.)

early 15c., deducen, "to show, prove, demonstrate;" late 15c., "to deduct," from Latin deducere "lead down, derive" (in Medieval Latin, "infer logically"), from de "down" (see de-) + ducere "to lead" (from PIE root *deuk- "to lead"). The usual modern sense of "draw a conclusion from something already known" is first recorded 1520s, from Medieval Latin. Related: Deduced; deducing.

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    recoup
    1620s, in legal language, "to deduct, keep back as a set-off or discount," from French recouper "to cut back" (12c.), from Old French re- "back" (see re-) + couper "to cut," from coup "a blow" (see coup). The sense of "to recompense for loss or expense" is from 1660s; the meaning
    infer
    in logic, "to 'bring in' as a conclusion of a process of reasoning," 1520s, from Latin inferre "bring into, carry in; deduce, infer, conclude, draw an inference; bring against," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + ferre "to carry, to bear," from PIE root *bher- (1) "to carry
    derive
    late 14c., "descend from," from Old French deriver "to flow, pour out; derive, originate," from Latin derivare "to lead or draw off (a stream of water) from its source" (in Late Latin also "to derive"), from phrase de rivo (de "from" + rivus "stream," from PIE root *rei- "to run,
    shopping
    Deduct Three (Sundays) leaves Eighteen Shopping Days....Again deduct Six Days (the last) monopolized by the Grand Army of Put-Offs, leaves but 12 DAYS in which Common-Sense Customers...
    discount
    Hence, "to abate, deduct" (1650s), and figurative sense "to leave out of account, disregard" (1702)....
    subtract
    1530s, "withdraw, withhold, take away, deduct," a back-formation from subtraction (q.v.), or else from Latin subtractus,...
    dock
    The general meaning "deduct a part from," especially "to reduce (someone's) pay for some infraction" is recorded by 1815....
    surmise
    c. 1400, surmisen, in law, "to charge, allege, accuse" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French surmis, past participle of surmettre "to accuse," from sur- "upon" (see sur- (1)) + mettre "put," from Latin mittere "to send" (see mission). The meaning "infer conjecturally, infer or
    reckon
    c. 1200, recenen, rekenen, "enumerate, count up; name one by one; relate, recount; make calculations," from Old English gerecenian "to explain, relate, recount; arrange in order," from Proto-Germanic *(ga)rakinaz "ready, straightforward" (source also of Old Frisian rekenia, Middl
    calculate
    1560s, "ascertain by computation, estimate by mathematical means," from Latin calculatus, past participle of calculare "to reckon, compute," from calculus (see calculus). It replaced earlier calculen (mid-14c.), from Old French calculer. The meaning "to plan, devise" is attested

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