induction
n.-
1 starting a new job (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe process of introducing a new person to their job or a formal group.
the formal act or process of introducing a person to a new post, office, or organisation.
ExampleAll new employees must attend a three-day induction to learn about company safety.
ExampleThe department head organised a comprehensive induction for the new recruits to ensure they understood the regulatory framework of the industry.
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2 logical reasoning (n.) C1 Advanced Academic Matha way of proving something is true by looking at specific examples and making a general rule.
the process of deriving general principles from particular facts or instances.
ExampleIn science, we use induction to create theories based on the patterns we observe.
ExampleMathematical induction provides a rigorous method for proving that a statement holds for every natural number in an infinite sequence.
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3 electricity/magnetism (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Sciencethe way electricity or magnetism is created in an object without touching it.
the production of an electromotive force across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic field.
ExampleAn induction cooker uses a magnetic field to heat the pan directly.
ExampleThe transformer operates on the principle of mutual induction, transferring energy between circuits through a shared magnetic flux.
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4 medical labour (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Medicinethe medical process of starting a woman's labour to begin childbirth.
the artificial initiation of childbirth through the use of clinical intervention or medication.
ExampleThe doctor recommended an induction because the baby was two weeks late.
ExampleThe clinical guidelines specify the conditions under which a medical induction is preferable to awaiting spontaneous labour.
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5 an introduction (n.) C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary Theatrea formal introduction at the beginning of a book or play.
a preface or introductory scene in a literary work, especially in early modern drama.
ExampleThe old play began with a short induction where a character spoke to the audience.
ExampleShakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew' features a famous induction in which a drunken tinker is tricked into believing he is a nobleman.
Inherited from Middle English induction, from Old French induction, from Latin inductiō, from indūcō (“I lead”). By surface analysis, induct + -ion or induce + -tion.