induction
n. C / Un. a way of learning or proving something by looking at specific facts to find a general rule. It is also the process of officially introducing someone to a new job or group.
n. the process of deriving general principles from particular facts or instances; also refers to the formal act of introducing a person to a new position or organisation.
The new employees start their induction training on Monday morning.
Scientific theories often rely on induction, where researchers observe many specific cases to form a broader conclusion.
While deduction provides certainty through logic, induction offers a way to build knowledge through empirical observation, though it remains vulnerable to the discovery of a single counterexample.
Inherited from Middle English induction, from Old French induction, from Latin inductiō, from indūcō (“I lead”). By surface analysis, induct + -ion or induce + -tion.
Uncountable when referring to the logical method; countable when referring to a specific ceremony or training programme.
the induction to the jobthe induction into the jobWhen referring to the process of starting a new role, 'induction' typically takes the preposition 'into'.