reduction

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the act of decreasing or reducing something
noun any process in which electrons are added to an atom or ion (as by removing oxygen or adding hydrogen); always occurs accompanied by oxidation of the reducing agent
noun the act of reducing complexity

From Middle English reduccion, a borrowing from Old French reducion, from Latin reductiō, reductiōnem. Equivalent to reduce + -tion.

What per cent reduction is made? — Stanford Achievement Test, Ed. 1922 : $b Advanced Examination, Form A, for Grades 4-8, Lewis M. (Lewis Madison) Terman
I must begin a system of reduction. — The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain
In this instance the reduction would be .00436. — Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World, Jules Verne

decrease, diminution, step-down

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