▪ I. conduct, n.1
(ˈkɒndəkt)
Forms: α. 3–6 conduyt(e, 3 condut, 4 cunduyt, 4–5 condute, 5 conduytte, condwyte, 5–7 conduit(e, 6 conduict(e, -uycte, counduit. β. 3–5 condyt, 4–6 -dit(e, (4 coundyte, cundeth, 5 condythe, Sc. condet, -eyt, 6 cunndyȝt, Sc. conditt, -dict. γ. 5–7 conducte, (Sc. conduke, -doke), 6– conduct. (Some of the variants are found only in safe-conduct, q.v.)
[Two original types of the word have existed in Eng., viz. conduit, conduite from OF., and the current conduct immed. from L. conduct-us (4th decl.), f. ppl. stem of condūcĕre to conduct, conduce. The former was partly a. OF. conduit (= Pr. conduch, Sp. conducto, It. condotto):—L. conduct-us, as above; partly a. OF. conduite (Sp. conducta, It. condotta):—late L. type *conducta, n. fem. f. pa. pple. (corresp. to nouns in -āta). These two ns. remain distinct in F., but through the obsolescence of final -e, they fell together in ME. conduyt(e. This was often phonetically weakened to condute, condyt(e; in 15th c. it was frequently, like the Fr., spelt conduict, conduycte (the c being inserted from L.), and finally in 16th c. was entirely refashioned after L., as conducte, conduct. The earlier form remains with a differentiation of sense: see conduit.]
I. 1. The action of conducting or leading; guidance, leading. a. of the person or thing that leads. lit. and fig. (Now somewhat rare.)
| α c 1534 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden) I. 108 Thei camen home under the conduite of their lodesmanne Fergusius. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 312 b, Through Gods conduite..we wyll prosecute our right. |
| γ 1555 Eden Decades 88 Sent by the conduct of certeyne of Careta his men. 1594 Spenser Amoretti xxxiv, As a ship, that through the Ocean wyde, By conduct of some star, doth make her way. 1632 Lithgow Trav. i. (1682) 21 The Trojanes, under conduct of æneus. 1656 R. Robinson Christ all 157 It doth not become a sheep to refuse the Shepherd's conduct. 1759 Johnson Rasselas xxviii, Travelling together under the conduct of chance. 1782 W. Gilpin Wye (1789) 55 Under his conduct we climbed the steep. |
b. of that which is led. (In quot. with mixture of sense 5.)
| 1885 Manch. Guard. 20 July 57 His conduct of the Redistribution Bill through the House of Commons. |
† 2. Provision for guidance or conveyance; a company of attendants appointed to conduct a person safely on a journey; an escort, a convoy; a document granted to ensure safe passage. Obs. exc. in safe-conduct, q.v.
| α c 1290 Lives Saints (1887) 145 Þe king..sende with him guod conduyt [s.v. condut] to bringe him þare. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 260 Þe messengers went, condute he did þam haue. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xvii. 182 Men may envirowne all the erthe..that hadde companye and schippynge and conduyt. 1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII, c. 27 Preamb., Sufficient conduyt to be hade for sure conveyaunce of the Marchaundises. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) III. 387 When conduits did both French and Spanish speak. |
| β 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 40 He sende hem by god condyt in to Yrlond. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 475 Quod the kynge, thy coundyte es knawene ffro Carlelele to the coste. c 1400 Destr. Troy 11437 By cundeth to come. c 1470 Henry Wallace viii. 1500 The consaill sone a condeyt gaiff him till. Ibid. xi. 912 The lyoun in wax that suld his condet be. 1533 Bellenden Livy iii. (1822) 235 Nocht to departe but his licence and conditt. |
| γ 1560 Rolland Crt. Venus ii. 917, I haif..Ane fre Conduct to suffice him and me. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iii. v. 8, I desire of you A Conduct ouer Land, to Milford-Hauen. 1611 Bible 1 Esdras viii. 51. 1684 Bunyan Pilgr. ii. 204 The thoughts of what I am going to, and of the Conduct that waits for me on the other side. 1693 Mem. Cnt. Teckely iii. 6 A Detachment of five hundred of his Men, whom he had appointed as a Conduct of Petrozzi. |
† 3. A person or thing that conducts or escorts; a guide, leader, conductor (lit. and fig.). Obs.
| 1423 James I Kingis Q. cxiii, I will that Gud-hope servand to the be..thy condyt and gyde till thou returne. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. lxxvii. 99 Noble prince, quoth the lady, God y⊇ father glorious be your conduct! 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. v. iii. 116 Come bitter conduct, come vnsauoury guide. 1599 Greene Orpharion Wks. 1882 XII. 46 Three seuerall Battalions, whereof the Kings in person were Conducts. 1684 Bunyan Pilgr. ii. 102, I have also been a Conduct to several Pilgrims. |
| transf. 1794 Adams Nat. & Exp. Philos. II. xiii. 10 It [water] is the easy and speedy medium, the ready conduct and conveyance, whereby all redundancies are carried off. |
† 4. Short for conduct-money. Obs.
| 1644–1721 [see coat n. 12]. |
II. 5. The leading or commanding of an army, a vessel, etc.; leadership, command; management. a. of the army, etc., led. (Now somewhat rare.)
| α a 1470 Tiptoft Caesar iv. (1530) 5 To espye and consyder the condute of hys enemyes. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 504 To view and espie both the number and conduit of the English men. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie ii. iv. (Arb.) 159 Conduict of whole armies. |
| γ 1601 Holland Pliny I. 194 The conduct of the arrere⁓guard. 1665 Manley Grotius' Low-C. Warres 103 The Duke of Parma took the Conduct of the Army. 1769 Robertson Chas. V, V. ii. 284 The conduct of these troops was committed to Andrew de Foix. 1812 Examiner 9 Nov. 720/1 Palm then took the Conduct of the vessel. |
† b. of the person commanding. Obs.
| α 1529 Rastell Pastyme, Hist. France (1811) 74 Frenche⁓men, with the conduit of certeyn dukis, went, etc. 1575 Brieff Disc. Troub. Franckford 186 Beinge in the conduite off the lion off the tribe off Juda. |
| γ 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. iv. iv. 65 They hither march amaine, vnder conduct of Lucius. 1649 Milton Eikon. 122 The Parlament durst not leave an Army to his conduct. 1726 Cavallier Mem. ii. 153 My Men..reposed great Confidence in my Conduct. 1774 J. Bryant Mythol. I. 380 The emigrants from most parts went under their conduct. |
6. The action or manner of conducting, directing, managing, or carrying on (any business, performance, process, course, etc.); direction, management. † Formerly said of the management of a fan, cane, or other article carried. a. of the business, or thing; or absol.
| α 1454 Paston Lett. No. 222 I. 310 That by your wysdom and gode conduyt that ye wolde help beere owte thys mater. 1490 Caxton Eneydos xiv. 52 Iuno takynge in hande the conduytte of this werke. 1530 Palsgr. 208/1 Conduycte of a mater. 1548–50 Hall Chron. Hen. V, 50 The conduyt and ordre of thys dolorous dole [Hen. V.'s funeral]. |
| γ a 1626 Bacon (J.), In the conduct and manage of actions. 1634 W. Tirwhyt tr. Balzac's Lett. 30 More trouble then you should find in governing the whole world, if God had left it to your conduct. 1712–4 Pope Rape Lock iv. 124 Of amber snuff-box justly vain, And the nice conduct of a clouded cane. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) I. 139 May serve us for models in the conduct of our lives. 1844 Arnold in Stanley Life & Corr. I. vii. 332 Those engaged in the conduct of the school. 1860 Emerson (title) The Conduct of Life. 1862 Merivale Rom. Emp. (1865) V. xli. 95 Directions were given for the conduct of the handkerchief. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. II. 1. 269 Nothing to do with the conduct of city affairs. |
† b. of the person conducting. Obs. rare.
| 1475 Bk. Noblesse (1860) 7 It most be done..by the conduyt and counceile of the most sage approuved men of a reaume. 1685 Baxter Paraphr. N.T., Acts i. 23 Chosen by all the Company, but by the Conduct of the Apostles. |
† c. Gardening. Management of plants in cultivation; culture. Obs.
| 1719 London & Wise Compl. Gard. xxxii. (heading), Of the Conduct or Culture of Fig-trees. 1772 Ann. Reg. 117 It is true, such a conduct cannot, like the culture of corn and grass, be general. |
d. Painting. Management of the parts of a work of art; mode of treatment, execution. Also transf. of literary work. (Cf. conduct v. 7.)
| 1758 H. Walpole Catal. Royal Authors (1759) I. 23 All the subjects were religious; all the conduct farcical. 1786 Sir J. Reynolds Disc. xiii. (1876) 77 He perfectly understood..the conduct of the back-ground. 1790 C. M. Graham Lett. Educ. 147 The conduct of her story is well conceived. 1825 Macaulay Ess. Milton (1854) I. 7 The book of Job..in conduct and diction, bears a considerable resemblance to some of his [æschylus'] dramas. 1859 Gullick & Timbs Paint. 146 Respecting the conduct of works in fresco. |
† 7. Aptitude for leadership or management; good generalship; skill in managing affairs; practical tact and address; discretion. Obs.
This was the main sense in the 17th c., when the apposition or contrast of courage and conduct was one of the commonplaces of biography.
| α a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon i. 1 God had gyuen hym the..wyt and conduyt so to do. 1565–73 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Auspicium, By his manhode and conduite. |
| γ 1601 Holland Pliny I. 169 A generall of command & conduct. 1648 Evelyn Corr. (1857) III. 13 Some person of conduct and quality. 1670 Cotton Espernon i. iv. 165 No ways inferiour to his Adversary either in Courage, or Conduct. 1700 Dryden Fables, Ajax & Ul. 591 Thus conduct won the prize when courage fail'd. 1722 De Foe Plague (1756) 252 Owing to the Prudence and Conduct of the Lord Mayor. 1776 Gibbon Decl. & F. I. i. 19 The various tribes of Britons possessed valour without conduct. 1815 Wellington in Gurw. Disp. XII. 483 His Royal Highness..distinguished himself by his gallantry and conduct. |
8. a. Manner of conducting oneself or one's life; behaviour; usually with more or less reference to its moral quality (good or bad). (Now the leading sense.) [So F. conduite in Corneille, 1651.]
| 1673 S. C. Art of Complaisance 132 A father speaking of the conduct of his son, says that till then, he had had no cause to complain. c 1709 Lady M. W. Montague Lett. (1803) I. 128 Such conduct is full as base as beating a poor wretch who has his hands tied. 1710 ― Lett. 25 Apr. 1721 ― Lett. to C'tess Mar (Bohn) II. 331 His conduct towards me is..infamous. 1729 Butler Serm. Pref. Wks. 1874 II. 16 That we bring our whole conduct before this superior faculty. 1755 Johnson, Behaviour..5 Conduct; general practice. 1774 Goldsm. Retal. 46 His conduct still right, with his argument wrong. 1777 Burke Let. Sheriffs of Bristol Wks. 1842 I. 221, I trusted to profession, when I ought to have attended to conduct. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. iii. 242 The clergy..claimed the privileges of saints, while their conduct fell below the standard of that of ordinary men. |
b. (with a) A piece of behaviour, a proceeding (obs.); a course of conduct (rare).
| 1706 J. Logan in Pa. Hist. Soc. Mem. X. 161 Making sharp observations upon a conduct he saw, which he never expected. 1774 Burke Corr. (1844) I. 486 A conduct which is not, perhaps, exactly justifiable to prudence. 1818 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. v. 497 A conduct which demanded the most serious consideration. 1859 Bright Sp. India 1 Aug., An improved conduct on the part of the English..towards the Natives of India. |
III. 9. Conveyance, carriage (obs.); conveyance of liquid through a channel; = conduit 6.
| a 1618 Raleigh Observ. Magnif. Cities in Rem. (1651) 38 A place of Safetie..commodiousness for Navigation and Conduct, for the attainment of plentie of all good things. 1847 South tr. Chelius' Surg. I. 711 The restoration of the natural ducts, and the conduct of the fluids from the fistulas. |
† 10. An artificial channel for the conveyance of water or other liquid, an aqueduct; an artificial reservoir or structure whence water is made to issue, a fountain. Obs. Now conduit 1–2, q.v.
† 11. A channel, passage, means of communication. Obs. Now conduit 3–5, q.v.
IV. 12. Comb. conduct-book, a book in which a record of the conduct of scholars, of men in public service, etc. is kept; spec. in U.S. navy; so conduct-sheet; conduct-mark, a mark given for good, or forfeited for bad, conduct in schools, etc.; † conduct-pipe, see conduit-pipe. Also conduct-money.
| 1856 Cozzens Sparrowgr. Papers xiii. 185 A conduct-book! There was G. for good boy, and R. for reading, and S. for spelling and so on. 1949 I. Deutscher Stalin i. 18 Similar entries appeared in the conduct-book more and more frequently. 1965 A. Nicol Truly Married Woman 71 They knew the matter would end there, with no protracted interviews, moral recrimination, and an entry in the conduct book. |
| 1927 Daily Express 11 Oct. 3/4, I have known real bad lots suddenly reform, fellows whose conduct sheets ran into three editions. 1956 ‘J. Wyndham’ Seeds of Time 114 A few curt remarks on a conduct-sheet to dog Constable Walsh's future career. |
▸ conduct disorder n. Psychol. and Psychiatry (chiefly U.S.) (a type or instance of) abnormal behaviour, spec. (one of) the various types of antisocial behaviour which may be displayed in childhood or adolescence.
| [1890 C. Mercier Sanity & Insanity iii. 139 In every case of insanity there are present all the three factors—disorder of the highest nerve arrangements, disorder of conduct, and disorder of consciousness.] 1915 Amer. Jrnl. Insanity 71 664 The non-frontal group of delusion-formations the writer wishes to group provisionally under the term hyperphantasia, emphasizing..the frequent lack of any appropriate *conduct-disorder in the patients harboring such delusions, [etc.]. 1920 Arch. Neurol. & Psychiatry (Chicago) 4 680 (title) Nervous signs and symptoms as related to certain causations of conduct disorder. 1960 L. Hinsie & R. J. Campbell Psychiatric Dict. (ed. 3) 93/2 [Behaviour disorders] appear as problems of personality development, as persisting undesirable traits or unfavorable habits,..as delinquency or conduct disorders [etc.] 1994 N.Y. Times 24 July iv. 1/4 Boys practically have the patent on conduct disorders. |
▪ II. conduct, n.2
see next.
▪ III. conduct, pa. pple., a., and n.2
Also 5 condite, 5–6 conduit, (6 condoke, -duke).
[ad. L. conduct-us hired, pa. pple. of condūcĕre to lead together, etc., also to hire: see conduce. In early use a. F. conduit pa. pple.]
† A. pa. pple. and ppl. a. Obs.
1. Hired: see conduct v. 10, conduce 2. a. as pa. pple.
| 1476 Proclam. in York Myst. Introd. 37 Þat no plaier..be conducte and reteyned to plaie but twise on þe day. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 154/2 A man beyng conducte & hyred of Justyn. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 53 [He] hath conducte or hyred vs as his workmen for the peny of glory. |
b. as adj. in conduct priest: cf. B. 2.
| c 1400 Apol. Loll. 52 But for þe synne of symonye may vnnese or neuer be fled in swilk þings, þerfor conduct prestis are reprouid of þe lawe. 1474 Will of Marchall (Somerset Ho.), Euery conducte preeste. |
2. pa. pple. Conducted.
| c 1430 [see condite pa. pple.]. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxiv. 508 Blessed be the good lorde that hathe conduytte you hether. 1620 Shelton Quix. iv. xv. II. 190 Conduct by this lovely Damsel. |
B. n. A hired person, a hireling.
† 1. A hired workman or employé; esp. (as it appears) in a bakehouse. Obs.
| a 1483 Lib. Niger in Househ. Ord. (1790) 60 Thys clerke takyth none othe at the countyng bourd as an offycer, but as a conduyte. 1525–6 Churchw. Acc. in Brit. Mag. XXXIV. 180 Payd vnto the iij Condokes ffor heruest. 1526 Househ. Ord. (1790) 209 That there should be encreased one conduite in the office of the bakehouse. 1610 Ibid. 330 Bakehouse.—William Tyckenor, conducte; wages 4{pstlg} iis. 3d. 1647 Haward Crown Rev. 29 (Royal Bakehouse), Foure Conducts: Fee a peice per diem, 4.d. |
† 2. A conduct priest; a hired or salaried chaplain; esp. one engaged to read prayers in the chapel of a college, of which he is not on the foundation. Obs.: but see b.
[In Camb. Univ. Calendar the ‘Conduct’ still appears at King's Coll. in 1852; in the Calendar of 1853 he is the ‘Chaplain’; at Trinity Coll. the name last appears in 1819.]
| 1499 Will of Povey (Somerset Ho.), Euery prest being a conducte w{supt} in the said churche. 1563–87 Foxe A. & M. (1684) III. 583 Who first being brought up in the School of Eaton, was afterward Scholar, and then Conduct in the Kings Colledge at Cambridge. 1574 T. Cartwright Full Declar. 149 One or more chaplaines and conductes are hired to reade the seruice at the houres appointed. 1576 Grindal Wks. (1843) 181 Item, You shall inquire of the doctrine and judgment of all..vicars, petty canons, deacons, conducts, singing-men, choristers. 1830 Bp. Monk Life Bentley (1833) I. 218 Dr. Bentley chose a layman as one of the four Sacellani or Conducts, whose duty it is to read prayers daily in the College chapel [Trin. Coll. Camb.]. |
b. Still used as the name of the chaplains at Eton College.
| 1720 Magna Britannia I 203/2 Eaton{ddd}is noted chiefly for a fair and beautiful College..wherein are placed a Provost, seven Fellows, two Schoolmasters, two Conducts, an Organist, [etc.]. 1737 H. Walpole in Etoniana v. 80 Standing over against a Conduct to be catechised. 1865 W. L. C. ibid. i. 21 One of the chaplains or conducts of the college. |
▪ IV. conduct, v.
(kənˈdʌkt)
Forms α. 5–6 conduyt(e, -dute, 6 -duit(e. β. 4–5 -dyte, 5 -dite, 6 -dyth. γ. 5–6 -ducte, 6– conduct. pa. pple. -ed; formerly conduct: see prec.
[Of this, as of conduct n., two (or, at length, three) types have been in use: viz. conduyt-en, f. F. conduit, -ite (:—L. conduct-us, -a), pa. pple. of condui-re:—L. condūcĕre (see conduce); often phonetically reduced to condute, and to condite, condyte, condyth, condeth; but finally, in 15–16th c., assimilated to the L. ppl. stem as conduct. The ultimate forms of these were so different, that they might be considered distinct words; for the sake of the history they are here treated together. There are several other representatives of L. condūcĕre, immediately, or through French, for which see conduce v.]
I. To lead, guide.
1. trans. To go with, or before, and show the way to (any one); to lead, escort, guide.
| α 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 34 The kyng and hys companye..folowed the byrde whyche conduyted them. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xx. 58, I shall go with hym to ayde and to condute hym. 1579 Fenton Guicciard. 111, They were at last conduited to Baia. |
| β c 1400 Mandeville (Cott.) viii. (1839) 82 To condyte me fro cytee to cytee. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 8631 He you condite, my swete fere. 1521 Fisher Wks. 315 Moyses and Aaron to condyth that people thurgh the deserte. |
| γ 1490 Caxton Eneydos vi. 29 To brynge and conducte you in to some other place of surete. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 134 The sterre..conductynge and leadyng them to the sauyour. 1611 Bible Acts xvii. 15 They that conducted Paul, brought him vnto Athens. 1727 Swift Gulliver iii. ii. 184 As they conducted me up the stairs. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague iii. i. 357 Let us conduct him home. 1862 Stanley Jew. Ch. (1877) I. xiii. 263, I know not where we shall find a better guide to conduct us. |
b. transf. Of a road: To be the way, to ‘lead’.
| 1834 Medwin Angler in Wales I. 263 Traces of paws..in four different directions..conducted to the lairs of as many lions. Ibid. II. 178 A narrow corridor..conducted to another anti-cavern. 1838 Lytton Alice i. ix, The narrow sweep that conducted from the lodge to the house. |
2. fig. To guide or direct in a certain course of action; to bring to a place, a particular condition or situation, a conclusion, etc.; to lead, bring.
| α 1481 Caxton Myrr. i. xiv. 47 Yf he wille iustely and rightfully conduyte hym selfe, he may well brynge his herte to that. 1483 ― Gold. Leg. 366/3 That y{supu} may conduyte us to the lyf permanable. c 1550 Croke Ps. cxliii. (Percy Soc.) 27 Let thyne ears perceyue my sute..And yn thy iustice me Condute. 1557 Sarum Primer G iv, Thy good spirite shall conduite me into the lande of rightfulness. |
| γ 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretarie i. (1625) 24, I have under taken to conduct the learner by example, how to behave himselfe. 1638 Rouse Heav. Univ. (1702) 166 A Soul taught by Christ and highly conducted by the light of his spirit. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) I. 72 Such as curiosity or idleness conducted to look on. 1770 Junius Lett. xxxvi. 173 Consider the situations to which you have conducted..your royal master. 1876 J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. I. Pref. 12 Such a work..may seem without meaning, unless it conducts the reader to some definite conclusions. |
b. absol.
| 1835 Browning Paracelsus iii. Wks. I. 132 A few Prime principles which may conduct to much. 1850 M{supc}Cosh Div. Govt. ii. i. (1874) 86 The skill and benevolence shown..conduct to the belief in a skilful and benevolent cause. |
† 3. To train, guide (plants). Obs. rare.
| 1475 Caxton Jason 92 All the facons of vignes and trees hyly conduyted by compas. 1764 Harmer Observ. xi. iii. 103 Neither he nor any other traveller..speaks of the conducting vines along the sides of their houses. |
II. To lead, command, direct, manage.
4. To lead, command, act as commander of (an army, etc.).
| β c 1450 Merlin 576 The kynge Clarion..hem did condite with a baner as white as snowe, ther-in a reade cross. |
| γ 1531 [see conducting vbl. n.]. 1605 Shakes. Lear iv. ii. 16 Hasten his Musters, and conduct his powres. a 1714 Burnet Own Time (1823) I. 574 The town of Amsterdam was for many years conducted by him as by a dictator. 1777 Robertson Hist. Amer. (T.), Cortes himself conducted the third and smallest division. 1830 D'Israeli Chas. I, III. viii. 163 When Lord-High-Admiral he conducted the navy of England without glory. |
5. a. Mus. To direct (an orchestra, or a musical performance); see conductor 5. Also absol.
| 1791 Gentl. Mag. LXI. ii. 669 Haydn's new overture, conducted by himself. 1834 Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe Mus. Remin. (ed. 4) 6 At Bath..for many years he conducted the concerts. Mod. There was a performance of Dr. Parry's Oratorio Judith; the composer conducted. |
b. To lead, take the leading part in, preside over and direct (a meeting, divine service, etc.).
| 1839 in Life Jas. Hamilton iii. (1870) 130 He conducted family worship. 1886 C. Hazard Mem. J.L. Diman vi. 110, I have..preached twice, conducted a third service this evening. |
c. To act as conductor of (an omnibus, etc.).
6. To direct, manage, carry on (a transaction, process, business, institution, legal case, etc.).
The notion of direction or leadership is often obscured or lost; e.g. an investigation is conducted by all those who take part in it.
| 1632 Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 28 The Admirall (who had fore-thought of the manner of conducting this enterprise) had..furnished his companions with Iavelings. 1751 C. Labelye Westm. Br. 108 The promoting, forwarding, and well conducting the Building of Westminster Bridge. 1758 S. Hayward Serm. xvii. 528 To conduct every circumstance so as to prevent the designs of Satan from taking effect. 1801 Med. Jrnl. V. 433 Conducting the Vaccine Inoculation with spirit and perseverance throughout the navy. 1806 Ibid. XV. 245 The plan on which the generality of county hospitals..are conducted. 1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike vii. 80 Conducting the correspondence and accounts. 1875 Jevons Money (1878) 168 The difficulties of conducting the bullion traffic. 1883 M. D. Osbaldeston in Law Times 20 Oct. 410/2 To deprive the suitor of the right of conducting his case as he thinks [best]. |
† b. absol. Obs.
| 1677 Govt. Venice 144 This Office..being a step to greater Preferment, if they know how to Conduct. |
† 7. To manage, treat, deal with (the features or various details of a work of art); to carry on, carry out (the work as a whole), esp. with reference to the skill or success with which this is done. Obs.
| 1662 Evelyn Chalcogr. (1769) 46 His Armed Cavalier..in which the brightness and lustre of the armour and horse is rarely conducted. 1730 A. Gordon Maffei's Amphith. 232 The upper ornamented Part so elegant, and well conducted. 1776 Sir J. Hawkins Hist. Mus. V. 177 A point, or subject of a fugue, which the performer was to conduct at his pleasure. 1796 Pegge Anonym. (1809) 159 Mr. Dryden used to say, he received more light from him [De la Rue] in conducting his translation than any other. 1823 De Quincey Lett. Educ. ii. (1860) 24 The tools with which the workmanship is to be conducted. |
8. refl. To direct one's actions, comport oneself, behave oneself (in a specified way).
[Cf. F. se conduire used by Corneille, Cinna, 1639. This use is not recorded by Johnson, Todd, or Richardson.]
| 1706–10 M. Henry Exp. Gen. xlii. 38 It is bad with a family, when children conduct themselves so ill, that their parents know not how to trust them. 1742 W. Melmoth in Fitzosborne's Lett. (1820) I. 13 With what a generous tenderness did the British hero conduct himself. 1755 Johnson Dict., Behave v.n., To act, to conduct oneself. [Not s.v. Conduct.] 1815 Wellington 19 June in Gurw. Disp. XII. 483 The army never..conducted itself better. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. ii. 154 The emperor..had hitherto conducted himself with the greatest address. 1880 Ouida Moths I. 124 No Spanish or Italian heroine..could conduct herself more audaciously. |
b. intr. (for refl.) Cf. to behave. (U.S.)
[Called by Bartlett ‘an offensive barbarism, happily confined to New England’.]
| 1754 Edwards Freed. Will v. 27 foot-n., I say not only doing but conducting; because a voluntary forbearing to do, sitting still, keeping silence, &c. are Instances of Persons' Conduct. 1809 Kendall Trav. I. v. 40 It has an effect to render permanent the seats of those who conduct well. 1838 Sparks Biog. IX. xi. 316 Mr. Farquhar conducted with manly firmness. 1854 J. S. C. Abbott Napoleon (1855) I. xxv. 401 The First Consul, on this occasion, conducted with perfect good faith. |
III. To convey; to be a channel for.
9. † a. To convey from one place to another; to carry, transport. Obs. b. To convey water, or other moving body by a channel; also predicated of the channel.
| α c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. ix. 175 Make..pipes it [the water] to conduyt. |
| β c 1450 Merlin xiii. 194 Theire squyers were gon before with the cariage..and lete it be condited by men of the same contrey. |
| γ 1535 Act 27 Hen. VIII, c. 3 Fisher men..vse commonly to conducte and conuey their hearing sprottes and other fyshe to..Kyngstone. 1808 J. Webster Nat. Phil. 115 They conducted water across hills and vallies. 1833 H. Martineau Brooke Farm v. 58 Air would be conducted into the recesses of the groves. |
c. Physics. Of a body: To convey through its particles (some form of energy, as heat or electricity); to transmit, act as a conductor of, serve as a channel or vehicle for.
| 1740 Desaguliers in Phil. Trans. XLI. 640 In order to conduct Electricity along any non-electric Body. 1770 J. L. Winn ibid. LX. 188 A chain so disposed may conduct the lightening. 1830 Brande Chem. I. 68 Glass is a non-conductor when cold, but conducts when red hot. 1830 Herschel Stud. Nat. Phil. ii. vi. (1851) 161 Those polished substances are found to be most strongly dewed which conduct heat worst. 1860 Tyndall Glac. ii. ii. 240 When these motions are communicated from particle to particle of the body the heat is said to be conducted. |
IV. Obs. senses = conduce.
† 10. To hire, engage for reward; = conduce 2. Obs. [L. conducere.]
| 1476–1526 [see conduct ppl. a. 1]. 1548 Hall Chron. (1809) 8 The Duke..conducted and waged certeyne menne of warre and shippes and..sailed into England. 1555 in Strype Eccl. Mem. III. App. xlvii. 143 They are..in some part of their depositions..conducted, subornate, instructed. |
† 11. = conduce 5. Obs. rare.
| 1685 P. Henry in Diaries & Lett. (1882) 337 Make a business of fixing somewhere, so as may best conduct to your great end in going. |