To conduct an orchestra is to lead it, and to produce is to lead something forth. duc (also duct) means “lead.” A tractor pulls, and to attract is to pull toward: tract means “pull” or “draw.” And to include is to shut in, to exclude to shut out: clud (also clus) means “shut.”
Key idea
duc, duct = lead. tract = pull, draw. clud, clus = shut, close.
The parts and their words
Words taken apart
| Word and meaning | Parts, and what they say |
|---|---|
| deduce to reach a conclusion by reasoning | de- from + duc lead + -e → “lead from (the evidence)” |
| educate to teach | e- out + duc lead + -ate → “lead out” |
| intractable hard to manage, control or solve | in- not + tract handle, pull + -able able to be → “not able to be handled” |
| protracted lasting longer than expected or usual | pro- forward + tract draw + -ed → “drawn out” |
| attract to draw something closer | at- toward + tract pull → “pull toward” |
| distract to draw attention away | dis- away + tract pull → “pull away” |
| preclude to make impossible in advance | pre- before + clud shut + -e → “shut off before” |
| conclusive settling a question beyond doubt | con- completely + clus shut + -ive → “shutting (the question) completely” |
| reclusive avoiding the company of others | re- away + clus shut + -ive → “shut away” |
Worked example: Use the parts
The protracted meeting ran two hours past its end time. What does protracted mean?
- Take it apart: pro- (forward) + tract (draw, pull) + -ed.
- Literally: “drawn forward,” drawn out like a long piece of taffy.
- The sentence fits: the meeting dragged on.
Answer: Lasting longer than expected or usual.
Meet the words
Common mistake
The word tract by itself has other meanings: a stretch of land, or a short pamphlet. Both come from the same Latin root, but neither means “pull” today. Use the root inside longer words: intractable, protracted, attract.
Detectives deduce: they lead (duc) a conclusion out from (de-) the clues. When the evidence is conclusive, it shuts (clus) the case completely.