Educe?

[TheEarl]

Someone who I showed my newest story to asked me this one word question. Do you know what it means? Would the fact that you don't distract you from the story?

The Earl

 

[Elsie Grey]

I'd assume you meant induce but had spelt it wrong... But I don't know as many long words as you!

Elsie

xxx

 

[Equinoxe]

I do know what it means, so I can't say if not knowing would distract me, but I would think that it would be fairly easy to educe its meaning from the context and words with the same root.

 

[S-Des]

Someone who I showed my newest story to asked me this one word question. Do you know what it means? Would the fact that you don't distract you from the story?

The Earl

No I don't know it and yes it would distract me. However, it is the worldwide net, so there are always words or phrases that pop up in stories that I'm unfamiliar with. I have people with different backgrounds read through my stories so that I at least know about the ones that will confuse readers. Then I decide how much I really need it in the story. You are trying to help show yourself to others by using your writing. In my opinion, that should include your language skills and colloquialisms. It helps me as a reader get to know you (and you seem like such a fascinating guy ).

 

[mismused]

delete

 

[Antfarmer77]

1. to draw forth or bring out, as something potential or latent; elicit; develop.
2. to infer or deduce.

If this helps

 

[Guest]

Someone who I showed my newest story to asked me this one word question. Do you know what it means? Would the fact that you don't distract you from the story?

The Earl

Because it is so close to deduce, I assumed the meaning. Happily, I was correct - lol.

But honestly, if I come upon a word I am unfamiliar with in the course of reading something I just look it up. Immediately. I have dictionaries everywhere.

I hate not knowing.

 

[Alessia Brio]

Not a problem unless you liberally pepper your prose with words your target audience is unlikely to understand. That being said, if your audience is the average wanker, educe might get you bombed.

 

[damppanties]

Someone who I showed my newest story to asked me this one word question. Do you know what it means? Would the fact that you don't distract you from the story?

About this word, I don't know. I think I could guess by the context, but other words, maybe. If they throw me out of a story, they aren't really appreciated.

You're asking this question in the author's hangout. The average reader probably doesn't appreciate adding to his vocabulary in the middle of a story.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Someone who I showed my newest story to asked me this one word question. Do you know what it means? Would the fact that you don't distract you from the story?

The Earl

It would depend on the context.

If you were using "educe" (a word I'd never heard of) instead of "deduce" I'd probably assume the "d" was missing and move on. If it's not a typo or being used in dialogue, my humble advice is use the more common "deduce" to avoid the risk of throwing any other readers out of the story.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[gauchecritic]

I recently had a couple of people comment on a work in progress that they like to be educated or surprised as they read stories up to and including having to break off reading to look up an unfamiliar word.

I'd guess as long as it's not every other sentence then you'll amuse as many readers as you lose.

Readers of hard skiffy (sci-fi) are well used to working hard as they read, needing to absorb new or strange concepts in order to follow a story.

In one of my stories on Lit I use the word gibbous to describe the moon, I had a mail thanking me for using the word even though they had to look it up.


So, you can be amusing or entertaining and usually, in my view, a good read is both.

 

[arienette]

Because it is so close to deduce, I assumed the meaning. Happily, I was correct - lol.

But honestly, if I come upon a word I am unfamiliar with in the course of reading something I just look it up. Immediately. I have dictionaries everywhere.

I hate not knowing.

I also thought of deduce and looked it up. I'm the same way - If I don't know the meaning of a word, I immediately look it up. I have 2 dictionaries downstairs, 1 up here and the computer has dictionary.com, after all.