Wiktionary

reduce

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English reducen, from Old French reduire, from Latin redūcō (“reduce”); from re- (“back”) + dūcō (“lead”). See duke, and compare with redoubt.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

reduce (third-person singular simple present reduces, present participle reducing, simple past and past participle reduced)

  1. (transitive) To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower.
    to reduce weight, speed, heat, expenses, price, personnel etc.
    • 2012 January, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 100, number 1, page 60:
      Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.
    • 2022 January 12, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Emergency timetables as absences surge due to COVID”, in RAIL, number 948, page 6:
      Most train operators have reduced services with emergency timetables, as they struggle to cope with a rapid increase in staff absences due to the Omicron variant of COVID.
  2. (intransitive) To lose weight.
  3. (transitive) To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.
    to reduce a sergeant to the ranks
  4. (transitive) To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.
    to reduce a province or a fort
  5. (transitive) To bring to an inferior state or condition.
    to reduce a city to ashes
  6. (transitive, cooking) To decrease the liquid content of food by boiling much of its water off.
    • 2011, Edward Behr, James MacGuire, The Art of Eating Cookbook: Essential Recipes from the First 25 Years.:
      Serve the oxtails with mustard or a sauce made by reducing the soup, if any is left, to a slightly thick sauce.
  8. (transitive, chemistry) To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen.
    Formaldehyde can be reduced to form methanol.
  9. (transitive, metallurgy) To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter.
  10. (transitive, mathematics) To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value.
  11. (transitive, computer science) To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm.
  12. (transitive, logic) To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form.
  13. (transitive, law) To convert to written form. (Usage note: this verb almost always appears as "reduce to writing".)
    It is important that all business contracts be reduced to writing.
  14. (transitive, medicine) To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment.
  15. (transitive, military) To reform a line or column from (a square).
  16. (transitive, military) To strike off the payroll.
  17. (transitive, Scots law) To annul by legal means.
  18. (transitive, obsolete) To translate (a book, document, etc.).
    a book reduced into English

Synonyms edit

Antonyms edit

  • (antonym(s) of "to bring down"): increase

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

to decrease the liquid content of food
Scots law: to annul by legal means — see annul
(obsolete in English) to translate (a book, document, etc.) — see translate
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also edit

References edit

Galician edit

Verb edit

reduce

  1. inflection of reducir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Italian edit

Etymology edit

From Latin redux (“that returns”).

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

reduce (plural reduci) [+ da (object)]

  1. returning (from)
    Synonym: ritornato

Noun edit

reduce m or f by sense (plural reduci)

  1. survivor
    Synonym: sopravvissuto
  2. veteran (of a conflict)
    Synonyms: veterano, ex combattente

Anagrams edit

Latin edit

Etymology 1 edit

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

redūce

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of redūcō

Etymology 2 edit

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

rĕduce

  1. ablative masculine/feminine/neuter singular of rē̆dux

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin reducere, French réduire, based on duce. Compare the inherited doublet arăduce.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /reˈdutʃe/, [re̞ˈd̪utʃe̞]

Verb edit

a reduce (third-person singular present reduce, past participle redus) 3rd conj.

  1. (transitive) to reduce, to lessen

Conjugation edit

    conjugation of reduce (third conjugation, past participle in -s)
infinitive a reduce
gerund reducând
past participle redus
number singular plural
person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
indicative eu tu el/ea noi voi ei/ele
present reduc reduci reduce reducem reduceți reduc
imperfect reduceam reduceai reducea reduceam reduceați reduceau
simple perfect redusei reduseși reduse reduserăm reduserăți reduseră
pluperfect redusesem reduseseși redusese reduseserăm reduseserăți reduseseră
subjunctive eu tu el/ea noi voi ei/ele
present să reduc să reduci să reducă să reducem să reduceți să reducă
imperative — tu — — voi —
affirmative redu reduceți
negative nu reduce nu reduceți

Derived terms edit

Derived terms

Related terms edit

See also edit

Spanish edit

Verb edit

reduce

  1. inflection of reducir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative
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