Dictionary.com
definitions

subtraction

[ suh b-trak-shuh n ]
/ səbˈtræk ʃən /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR subtraction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of subtracting.
Mathematics. the operation or process of finding the difference between two numbers or quantities, denoted by a minus sign (−).

RELATED CONTENT

How To Be Less Forgetful And Remember EverythingWhat are mnemonics? Whether or not you loved school, there are several fictitious figures you should thank for your education. Your Dear Aunt Sally, for example, as well as your Very Educated (or Excited, Eccentric, Elephantine) Mother, and Roy G. Biv. Also, be grateful that All Cows Eat Grass; those cows saved your ‘rhymes-with-grass’ in music class. Has this collection of relatives and cows sent you …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

diminution, discount, reduction, decrease, subduction

Nearby words

  1. subtopic,
  2. subtorrid,
  3. subtotal,
  4. subtotal hysterectomy,
  5. subtract,
  6. subtractive,
  7. subtractive color,
  8. subtractive process,
  9. subtrahend,
  10. subtreasury

Origin of subtraction

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin subtractiōn- (stem of subtractiō) a withdrawing, equivalent to subtract(us) (see subtract) + -iōn- -ion
Related formsnon·sub·trac·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subtraction

British Dictionary definitions for subtraction

subtraction

/ (səbˈtrækʃən) /

noun

the act or process of subtracting
a mathematical operation in which the difference between two numbers or quantities is calculated. Usually indicated by the symbol (–)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for subtraction

subtraction

n.

c.1400, "withdrawal, removal," from Late Latin subtractionem (nominative subtractio) "a drawing back, taking away," from past participle stem of Latin subtrahere "take away, draw off," from sub "from under" (see sub-) + trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)). The mathematical sense is attested from early 15c.

Þou most know þat subtraccion is drawynge of one nowmber oute of anoþer nomber. ["The Crafte of Nombrynge," c.1425]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for subtraction

subtraction

[ səb-trăk′shən ]

The operation of finding the difference between two numbers or quantities.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.