LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“conduct” in Latin

The English word conduct itself goes back to Latin dūcō, through conductus.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

conduct
ratio (behavior in general): mores (manners, outward demeanor): vita (manner of living): *ratio, qua aliquis utitur adversus aliquem (conduct with regard to others): modest, composed, moral conduct, modestia: becoming, gentle conduct, in intercourse, humanitas: condescending conduct (especially towards an inferior), comitas: kind conduct, liberalitas: prepossessing, polite conduct toward others, observantia: prudent conduct, prudentia: proud conduct, superbia: insolent, haughty conduct, insolentia: wild, rough conduct, ferocitas (as characteristic feature): indecent conduct, impudentia: illegal conduct, intemperantia.
Escort, Vid:
Administration, ductio: ductus (command): administratio (administration): cura (superintendence, management: alicujus rei): gubernatio: moderatio (government, the conducting of state affairs, rei publicae): gestio (the managing; e.g., negotii): curatio: procuratio (management, a taking care of anything): to commit the conduct of anything to anybody, alicui aliquid curandum tradere; curam alicujus rei alicui demandare: under anybody’s conduct, aliquo duce; alicujus ductu (of an army): to commit the conduct of a war to anybody, ducem aliquem creare bello gerendo.
Safe-conduct, Vid.
conduct v.
lead, ducere: agere (general term to put in motion): manu ducere (lead by the hand).
To lead, when the place, whither, through which, etc., is indicated, ducere: abducere (to conduct away): deducere (to conduct down, from a place or away to some place): educere (to conduct out), from a place, land, ex, etc., or to some place, in, etc. (e.g., the troop into the battle): adducere ad or in (to conduct along with one’s self to a place; then, in general, to lead, conduct, convey to someplace): perducere ad or in (to conduct to the place of its destination): inducere in etc. (to conduct into; e.g., troops into battle): producere ad or in etc. (to conduct forth, to lead out to a place; e.g., cattle out of the town, jumenta, equos, etc.): to conduct through a forest, traducere silvam: to conduct anybody to any person, aliquem deducere ad aliquem (for the sake of cultivating his acquaintance, ☞ Cic., Lael., 1, 1); aliquem perducere ad aliquem (a prisoner, in order to deliver him up to anybody, Vid: Caes.., B.G., 7, 13); aliquem introducere ad aliquem (from the ante-chamber, etc., into anybody’s room for audience, Vid: Curt., 6, 7, 17): to conduct anybody home, ducere domum (general term of a leader or companion): deducere domum (especially from the forum, on the part of the clients or a multitude): to conduct to prison, to the scaffold, to death, ducere in carcerem (in vincula), ad mortem; in both cases also ducere only (Vid: Cic., Verr., 2, 12, quite at the end. Suet., Calig., p. 27, in.): to conduct into the right path, ducere in viam: (again) reducere in viam; erranti alicui monstrare viam (both PROP. and figuratively). INTR., a road conducts to some place, via fert aliquo (i. e., leads to any place): via ducit aliquo (leads to a place; e.g., safely): my feet conduct me involuntarily to your chamber, ad diaetam tuam ipsi me pedes ducunt (Plin., Ep., 7, 5): the roads, the footsteps conduct to a place, itinera, vestigia ferunt aliquo. [Vid: LEAD.]
To administer, aliquid administrare, gerere (e.g., war; Vid: WAR): aliquid regere (to direct anything): alicui rei praeesse (to superintend anything): aliquid procurare (for another in his absence): to conduct the domestic affairs, domum regere: domesticam agere curam (in general), res domesticas dispensare (with regard to receipts and expenditure): to conduct a government, rem publicam administrare; summae rerum praeesse: to conduct anybody’s cause, causam alicujus defendere, orare, perorare; alicujus patronum esse: to conduct the affairs of a province, provinciam administrare; provinciae praeesse; provinciam procurare (in the name of the Roman emperor).
To attend, comitari aliquem or aliquid: comitem alicujus esse, comitem se alicui dare, praebere, adjungere (general term to accompany anybody): inter comites alicujus aspici (to be in anybody’s retinue): prosequi aliquem or aliquid (to attend or conduct solemnly, i. e., home, on a journey, etc., ): deducere (to conduct, as a demonstration of respect; e.g., a patron by his client, a young Roman by his relations and friends to the capitolium, for the sake of relinquishing his tirocinium; a magistrate, when setting out for the province; a bride to the house of her consort): to conduct anybody home, prosequi, deducere aliquem domum: to be conducted by a crowd, stipari (e.g., by an unusually numerous multitude, non usitata frequentia).
To attend anybody as his escort, praesidio esse alicui: custodiae esse alicui (to conduct anybody for the sake of protection, or as escort): to cause a person to be conducted to any place under a safe escort, praesidio dato or cum custodibus aliquem mittere aliquo.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for conduct?
The usual Latin words for “conduct” are ratiō, mōs, vīta; also ductiō, dūcō, administrātiō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.