reduction

American  

[ri-duhk-shuhn] / rɪˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

• reductions
  plural

1. the act of reducing or the state of being reduced.

2. the amount by which something is reduced or diminished.

3. a form produced by reducing a copy on a smaller scale.

4. Cell Biology. meiosis, especially the first meiotic cell division in which the chromosome number is reduced by half.

5. Chemistry. the process or result of reducing.

6. Movies. the process of making a print of a narrower gauge from a print of a wider gauge.

   the reduction of 35-millimeter films to 16-millimeter films for the school market.

7. a village or settlement of Indians in South America established and governed by Spanish Jesuit missionaries.

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reduction British  

/ rɪˈdʌkʃən /

noun

1. the act or process or an instance of reducing

2. the state or condition of being reduced

3. the amount by which something is reduced

4. a form of an original resulting from a reducing process, such as a copy on a smaller scale

5. a simplified form, such as an orchestral score arranged for piano

6. maths

   1. the process of converting a fraction into its decimal form

   2. the process of dividing out the common factors in the numerator and denominator of a fraction; cancellation

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reduction Scientific  

/ rĭ-dŭk′shən /

1. The changing of a fraction into a simpler form, especially by dividing the numerator and denominator by a common factor. For example, the fraction 8/12 can be reduced to 4/6, which can be further reduced to 2/3, in each case by dividing both the numerator and denominator by 2.

2. A chemical reaction in which an atom or ion gains electrons, thus undergoing a decrease in valence. If an iron atom having a valence of +3 gains an electron, the valence decreases to +2.

3. Compare oxidation

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reduction Cultural  

1. Any chemical reaction in which the atoms in a material take on electrons.

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Usage

Beginning students of chemistry are understandably puzzled by the term reduction: shouldn't a reduced atom or ion be one that loses electrons rather than gains them? The reason for the apparent contradiction comes from the early days of chemistry, where reduction and its counterpart, oxidation, were terms invented to describe reactions in which one substance lost an oxygen atom and the other substance gained it. In a reaction such as that between two molecules of hydrogen (2H₂) and one of oxygen (O₂) combining to produce two molecules of water (2H₂O), the hydrogen atoms have gained oxygen atoms and were said to have become “oxidized,” while the oxygen atoms have (as it were) lost them by attaching themselves to the hydrogens, and were said to have become “reduced.” Importantly, though, in the process of gaining an oxygen atom, the hydrogen atoms have had to give up their electrons and share them with the oxygen atoms, while the oxygen atoms have gained electrons. Thus comes the apparent paradox that the “reduced” oxygen has in fact gained something, namely electrons. Today the terms oxidation and reduction are used of any reaction, not just one involving oxygen, where electrons are (respectively) lost or gained.

Discover More

Reduction is the opposite of oxidation.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreduction
  noun
• overreduction
  noun
• self-reduction
  noun
• antireduction
  adjective
• nonreductional
  adjective
• proreduction
  adjective
• reductional
  adjective
• reductive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reductions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of reduction

First recorded in 1475–85; earlier reduccion, from Middle French reduction, from Latin reductiōn- (stem of reductiō ) “a bringing back,” equivalent to reduct(us) (past participle of redūcere “to lead back” ) + -iōn- noun suffix; see reduce, -ion

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Explanation

Reduction is the act of cutting back or making smaller, like the reduction of a school budget that makes it necessary to eliminate art and music programs. The process of reducing something is reduction, or making it smaller. You can talk about a reduction of sugar in someone's diet or a reduction of prices at your favorite shoe store. In math, reduction means bringing fractions to their lowest common denominators. And, in cooking, a reduction is a thick sauce that's made by boiling away most of the liquid, or reducing it to its concentrated essence.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reduction reductions

The financial question is whether the reduction in routine work outweighs the added technical support and equipment costs.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Investors expect a reduction in the U.K.’s fiscal headroom, the amount the government can increase spending or lower taxes without breaking its own fiscal rules, but not one that is too large.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

Those targets currently call for a 40-45 percent reduction by 2030 compared with 2005 levels, but Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has already indicated those benchmarks may be missed.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

Generally, though winds will gradually ease through the afternoon with a significant reduction this evening.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

But Tycho was used to being given considerable indulgence and saw any reduction in his income as an insult, as well as a threat to his work.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Depending on the approach, researchers observed reductions in inflammatory measures and improvements in several aging-related outcomes, including physical frailty, inflammation in the brain and performance on cognitive tasks.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

The Postal Service rolled out the reductions anyway, extending the changes to almost 20,000 ZIP codes to date.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

The reductions could be offset by raising levies on other Canadian goods, the Journal reported.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Booz Allen cut thousands of jobs last year, facing contract reductions in its civil business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

The Chicago Tribune made fare reductions a crusade and openly attacked the railroads.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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Related Words

• contraction
• cut
• cutback
• devaluation
• discount
• rebate

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