n. [ LL. conductus defense, escort, fr. L. conductus, p. p. of conducere. See Conduce, and cf. Conduit. ] 1. The act or method of conducting; guidance; management. [ 1913 Webster ]

Christianity has humanized the conduct of war. Paley. [ 1913 Webster ]

The conduct of the state, the administration of its affairs. Ld. Brougham. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Skillful guidance or management; generalship. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conduct of armies is a prince's art. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

Attacked the Spaniards . . . with great impetuosity, but with so little conduct, that his forces were totally routed. Robertson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Convoy; escort; guard; guide. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I will be your conduct. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

In my conduct shall your ladies come. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. That which carries or conveys anything; a channel; a conduit; an instrument. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Although thou hast been conduct of my shame. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The manner of guiding or carrying one's self; personal deportment; mode of action; behavior. [ 1913 Webster ]

All these difficulties were increased by the conduct of Shrewsbury. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

What in the conduct of our life appears
So well designed, so luckily begun,
But when we have our wish, we wish undone? Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Plot; action; construction; manner of development. [ 1913 Webster ]

The book of Job, in conduct and diction. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conduct money (Naut.), a portion of a seaman's wages retained till the end of his engagement, and paid over only if his conduct has been satisfactory.

Syn. -- Behavior; carriage; deportment; demeanor; bearing; management; guidance. See Behavior. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Conducted; p. pr. & vb. n. Conducting. ] [ See Conduct, n. ] 1. To lead, or guide; to escort; to attend. [ 1913 Webster ]

I can conduct you, lady, to a low
But loyal cottage, where you may be safe. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To lead, as a commander; to direct; to manage; to carry on; as, to conduct the affairs of a kingdom. [ 1913 Webster ]

Little skilled in the art of conducting a siege. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To behave; -- with the reflexive; as, he conducted himself well. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Physics) To serve as a medium for conveying; to transmit, as heat, light, electricity, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Mus.) To direct, as the leader in the performance of a musical composition. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To act as a conductor (as of heat, electricity, etc.); to carry. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To conduct one's self; to behave. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Conduct, v. + -ance. ] (Elec.) Conducting power; -- the reciprocal of resistance. A suggested unit is the mho, the reciprocal of the ohm.

Conductance is an attribute of any specified conductor, and refers to its shape, length, and other factors. Conductivity is an attribute of any specified material without direct reference to its shape or other factors. Sloane's Elec. Dict. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. F. conductibilité. ] 1. Capability of being conducted; as, the conductibility of heat or electricity. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Conductivity; capacity for receiving and transmitting. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being conducted. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. conductio a bringing together: cf. F. conduction. ] 1. The act of leading or guiding. Sir W. Raleigh. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of training up. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Physics) Transmission through, or by means of, a conductor; also, conductivity. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ The ] communication [ of heat ] from one body to another when they are in contact, or through a homogenous body from particle to particle, constitutes conduction. Amer. Cyc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having the quality or power of conducting; as, the conductive tissue of a pistil. [ 1913 Webster ]

The ovarian walls . . . are seen to be distinctly conductive. Goodale (Gray's Bot. ). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or power of conducting, or of receiving and transmitting, as heat, electricity, etc.; as, the conductivity of a nerve. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thermal conductivity (Physics), the quantity of heat that passes in unit time through unit area of a plate whose thickness is unity, when its opposite faces differ in temperature by one degree. J. D. Everett. --
Thermometic conductivity (Physics), the thermal conductivity when the unit of heat employed is the heat required to raise a unit volume of the substance one degree. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL., a carrier, transporter, L., a lessee. ] 1. One who, or that which, conducts; a leader; a commander; a guide; a manager; a director. [ 1913 Webster ]

Zeal, the blind conductor of the will. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One in charge of a public conveyance, as of a railroad train or a street car. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mus.) The leader or director of an orchestra or chorus. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Physics) A substance or body capable of being a medium for the transmission of certain forces, esp. heat or electricity; specifically, a lightning rod. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Surg.) A grooved sound or staff used for directing instruments, as lithontriptic forceps, etc.; a director. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Arch.) Same as Leader. [ 1913 Webster ]

Prime conductor (Elec.), the largest conductor of an electrical machine, serving to collect, accumulate, or retain the electricity. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. conductorius. ] Having the property of conducting. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A woman who leads or directs; a directress. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Wrong conduct; bad behavior; mismanagement. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Unlawful or unethical conduct by a person holding a public office or having a position of responsibility in the administration of justice; malfeasance; as, discussing the case out of court during a trial is misconduct by a juror; especially, misuse of office by an elected or appointed government official, also called misconduct in office. [ PJC ]

Syn. -- Misbehavior; misdemeanor; mismanagement; misdeed; delinquency; offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To conduct amiss; to mismanage. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

To misconduct one's self, to behave improperly. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To behave amiss. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not conducting; nonconductive; not transmitting a fluid or force; -- used especially of electric current; thus, in electricity, wax is a nonconducting substance. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. The quality of not being able to conduct or transmit; failure to conduct. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Physics) A substance which does not conduct, that is, convey or transmit, heat, electricity, sound, vibration, or the like, or which transmits them with difficulty; an insulator; as, wool is a nonconductor of heat; glass and dry wood are nonconductors of electricity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Elec.) A substance or device that has its conductivity altered in some way by electric waves, as a coherer. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. To conduct back or again. “A guide to reconduct thy steps.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Safe + conduct: cf. F. sauf-conduit. ] That which gives a safe passage; either (a) a convoy or guard to protect a person in an enemy's country or a foreign country, or (b) a writing, pass, or warrant of security, given to a person to enable him to travel with safety. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To conduct safely; to give safe-conduct to. [ Poetic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He him by all the bonds of love besought
To safe-conduct his love. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A lower conduit; a subterranean conduit. [ Obs. ] Sir H. Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]