reduction
Americannoun
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the act of reducing or the state of being reduced.
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the amount by which something is reduced or diminished.
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a form produced by reducing a copy on a smaller scale.
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Cell Biology. meiosis, especially the first meiotic cell division in which the chromosome number is reduced by half.
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Chemistry. the process or result of reducing.
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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.
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a village or settlement of Indians in South America established and governed by Spanish Jesuit missionaries.
noun
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the act or process or an instance of reducing
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the state or condition of being reduced
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the amount by which something is reduced
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a form of an original resulting from a reducing process, such as a copy on a smaller scale
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a simplified form, such as an orchestral score arranged for piano
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maths
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the process of converting a fraction into its decimal form
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the process of dividing out the common factors in the numerator and denominator of a fraction; cancellation
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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.
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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.
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Compare oxidation
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
- antireduction adjective
- nonreduction noun
- nonreductional adjective
- overreduction noun
- proreduction adjective
- reductional adjective
- reductive adjective
- self-reduction noun
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; reduce, -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There’s a lot of truth in worker apprehension: 99% of executives polled said AI will result in some head-count reductions within two years.
From MarketWatch
The WHO helped eradicate smallpox, established a framework that led to a dramatic worldwide reduction in tobacco use and helped control numerous pandemics, from Ebola to mpox to Zika.
From Salon
His tenure has also included workforce reductions, naming of a new editor-in-chief known for opinion writing, and clashes with journalists over issues of editorial independence.
From BBC
The reductions escalate a price war with rival Eli Lilly in one of the fastest-growing, most hotly contested categories in pharmaceuticals.
Simulation models from that advisory suggest meaningful reductions are achievable.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
