conduct

English

Etymology

From Late Latin conductus (“defense, escort”), from Latin conductus, perfect passive participle of condūcō (“bring together”); see also conduce. Doublet of conduit.

Pronunciation

• (noun)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒndʌkt/
  • (US) enPR: kŏn'dŭkt, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑndʌkt/

    • Audio (CA)

      (file)

• (verb)
  • enPR: kəndŭkt', IPA^(key): /kənˈdʌkt/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌkt

Noun

conduct (countable and uncountable, plural conducts)

1. The act or method of controlling or directing.

   Synonyms: control, guidance, management

   • 1785, William Paley, The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy:

     There are other restrictions imposed upon the conduct of war, not by the law of nature primarily, but by the laws of war first, and by the law of nature as seconding and ratifying the laws of war.

   • 1843, Henry Brougham, Political Philosophy:

     the conduct of the state, the administration of its affairs, its policy, and its laws, are for more uncertain

2. Skillful guidance or management.

   Synonym: leadership

   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. The First Part , 2nd edition, part 1, London: Richard Iones, , published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:

     If thou wilt ſtay with me renowmed man, / And lead thy thouſand horſe with my conduct, / Beſides thy ſhare of this Egyptian prize, / Thoſe thouſand horſe shall ſweat with martiall ſpoyle / Of conquered kingdomes, and of Cities ſackt, […]

   • 1722 (first printed) Edmund Waller, Poems, &c. written upon several occasions, and to several persons

     Conduct of armies is a prince's art.

   • 1769, William Robertson, The History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V. , volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: W. and W. Strahan, for W Strahan, T Cadell, ; and J. Balfour, , →OCLC:

     […] attacked the Spaniards […] with great impetuosity, but with so little conduct, that his forces were totally routed.

   • 1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, , →OCLC, chapter 49:

     At the head of that division which had Westminster Bridge for its approach to the scene of action, Lord George Gordon took his post; with Gashford at his right hand, and sundry ruffians, of most unpromising appearance, forming a kind of staff about him. The conduct of a second party, whose route lay by Blackfriars, was entrusted to a committee of management

3. Behaviour; the manner of behaving.

   Synonyms: bearing, behavior, deportment, demeanor

   Good conduct will be rewarded and likewise poor conduct will be punished.

   • 1840, [James Fenimore Cooper], The Pathfinder: Or, The Inland Sea. , volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), Philadelphia, Pa.: Lea and Blanchard, →OCLC:

     when she came to recall the affectionate and natural manner of the young Indian girl, and all the evidences of good faith and sincerity she had seen in her conduct during the familiar intercourse of their journey, she rejected the idea with the unwillingness of a generous disposition to believe ill of others

   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volumes (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     All these difficulties were increased by the conduct of Shrewsbury.

   • 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “ The Tenth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. , London: Printed for Jacob Tonson , →OCLC:

     What in the conduct of our life appears / So well designed, so luckily begun, / But when we have our wish, we wish undone?

4. (of a literary work) Plot.

   Synonyms: action, plot, storyline

   • c. 1800, Thomas Macaulay, Essays, critical and miscellaneous:

     The book of Job, indeed, in conduct and diction, bears a considerable resemblance to some of his dramas.

5. (obsolete) Convoy; escort; person who accompanies another.
   • 1598, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. ”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: Will Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     I will be your conduct.

   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     In my conduct shall your ladies come.

6. (archaic) Something which carries or conveys anything; a channel; an instrument; a conduit.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies.  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     although thou hast been conduct of my chame

7. (Anglicanism, obsolete outside fixed titles) A priest hired to hold services without secure title; now a chaplain.
   • 1634, “Trinitie Colledge”, in The foundation of the Universitie of Cambridge Anno 1634‎:

     […] at this present it is one of the most goodly and uniform Colledges in Europe; wherein is a Master, 60 Fellows, 67 scholars, 4 Conducts, 3 Publique Professours […] besides officers and servants of the foundation, with many other students, being in all 440.

   • 1859, William Keatinge Clay, A History of the Parish of Waterbeach in the County of Cambridge, page 68:

     Cory in 1722 obtained a licence of non-residence from Bishop Fleetwood, his patron, he being at that time one of the conducts, or chaplains, of King’s College.

   • 2003 November 8, “Memorial Services”, in The Times:

     The Rev Charles Mitchell-Innes, Conduct of Eton College, officiated, assisted by Mr Ralph Allwood, Precentor.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

conduct (third-person singular simple present conducts, present participle conducting, simple past and past participle conducted)

1. (archaic, transitive) To lead, or guide; to escort.

   Synonyms: accompany, escort, guide, lead, steer, belead

   • 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: , London: [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, , published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus:  (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:

     I can conduct you, lady, to a low / But loyal cottage, where you may be safe.

2. (transitive) To lead; to direct; to be in charge of (people or tasks)

   Synonyms: direct, lead, manage, oversee, run, supervise, belead

   The commander conducted thousands of troops.

   to conduct the affairs of a kingdom

   • 1855–1858, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC:

     the Turks, however efficient they may have been in field operations, had little skill as engineers, and no acquaintance with the true principles of conducting a siege

3. (transitive, reflexive) To behave.

   Synonyms: act, behave, carry on

   He conducted himself well.

4. (transitive) To serve as a medium for conveying; to transmit (heat, light, electricity, etc.)

   Synonyms: carry, convey, transmit

   • 1975, Clive M. Countryman, Heat-Its Role in Wildland Fire, Part 2:

     Water and many other liquids do not conduct heat well. Wildland fuels in general, wood, and wood products conduct heat slowly, and so do soil and rocks.

   • 2011 September 20, Matt Day, Tatyana Shumsky, “Copper Falls to 2011 Lows”, in Wall Street Journal‎:

     The metal easily conducts electricity and doesn't rust in water, properties that have made it valuable in uses from household plumbing and electric wiring

5. (transitive, music) To direct, as the leader in the performance of a musical composition.
   • 2006, Michael R. Waters, Mark Long, William Dickens, Lone Star Stalag: German Prisoners of War at Camp Hearne:

     For a while, Walter Pohlmann, a well-known German conductor, conducted the orchestra in Compound 3. Later, Willi Mets, who had conducted the world-renowned Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, conducted the Compound 3 orchestra.

6. (intransitive) To act as a conductor (as of heat, electricity, etc.); to carry.
7. (transitive) To carry out (something organized)
   • 2011 September 11, “Fugro, Royal Philips Electronics: Benelux Equity Preview”, in San Francisco Chronicle‎:

     The world's largest surveyor of deepwater oil fields won a contract to conduct a survey of the French Gulf of Lion to map sand reserves.

Derived terms

Translations

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Kondukt or Latin conductus.

Noun

conduct n (plural conducte)

1. (anatomy) duct

Declension

References

• conduct in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN