conduce

Etymology

PIE word *ḱóm From Late Middle English conducen (“to guide, lead; (surgery) to draw together (edges of a wound, or parts of a torn sinew); to set (a broken bone)”), borrowed from Latin condūcere, the present active infinitive of condūcō (“to bring, draw, or lead together, assemble, collect; to contribute to something by being useful, be of use, be conducive to”), from con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of several things) + dūcō (“to conduct, guide, lead, lead away”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to draw, pull; to lead (pull behind oneself)”)). Doublet of conduct and conn.

verb

1. (transitive, obsolete)
   1. To cause (something) to occur; to bring about.
   2. To contribute (something).
   3. (also figurative) To conduct or lead (someone or something).
   4. (rare) To advantage or benefit (someone or something).
   5. (rare, possibly) To carry on or continue (an activity).
2. (intransitive)
   1. To contribute or lead to a specific result.
      Best member in the family of Brassica! salubrious is the employment and sweet the reward of rearing thee [the cabbage] for the mouth and stomach! […] Thy votaries here present give evidence in their looks and conduct, how admirably thou conducest to innocent recreation and festive joy. 1822, Samuel Latham Mitchill, “The Krout Club”, in William E[vans] Burton, editor, Cyclopedia of Wit and Humor, of America, Ireland, Scotland, and England, division 1, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Co.,[…], published 1857, →OCLC, page 54, column 2
      There was thus a strong tendency to assume that obedience to God's commandments could conduce to prosperity and safety. 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic: Studies in Popular Beliefs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century England, London: Folio Society, published 2012, →OCLC, page 85
      Anecdotes aside, many historians are skeptical that trade, as a general rule, conduces to peace. 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, published 2012, page 343
   2. (obsolete) To be advantageous to; to advantage, to benefit.