from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Inductive \In*duct"ive\, a. [LL. inductivus: cf. F. inductif.
See {Induce}.]
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1. Leading or drawing; persuasive; tempting; -- usually
followed by to.
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A brutish vice,
Inductive mainly to the sin of Eve. --Milton.
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2. Tending to induce or cause. [R.]
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They may be . . . inductive of credibility. --Sir M.
Hale.
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3. Leading to inferences; proceeding by, derived from, or
using, induction; as, inductive reasoning.
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4. (Physics)
(a) Operating by induction; as, an inductive electrical
machine.
(b) Facilitating induction; susceptible of being acted
upon by induction; as, certain substances have a great
inductive capacity.
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{Inductive embarrassment} (Physics), the retardation in
signaling on an electric wire, produced by lateral
induction.
{Inductive philosophy} or {Inductive method}. See
{Philosophical induction}, under {Induction}.
{Inductive sciences}, those sciences which admit of, and
employ, the inductive method, as astronomy, botany,
chemistry, etc.
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