Search results for 'reduce':

reduce verb (reduced, reducing) 1 tr & intr to make or become less, smaller, etc. 2 to change someone or something into a worse or less desirable state or form • reduced her to tears. 3 military to lower the rank, status or grade of someone • reduce to the ranks. 4 to bring someone into a state of obedience; to subdue. 5 to make weaker or poorer. 6 to lower (the price of something) • All prices were reduced by 20 per cent. 7 intrans to lose weight by dieting. 8 to convert (a substance) into a simpler form. 9 to simplify something or make it more easily understood by considering only its essential elements • reduce the plan to four main points. 10 tr & intr cookery to thicken (a sauce) by slowly boiling off the excess liquid. 11 chem to cause (a substance) to undergo a chemical reaction whereby it gains hydrogen or loses oxygen. 12 math to convert (a fraction) to a form with the numerator and denominator as low in value as possible, eg 3/9 to 1/3. 13 metallurgy to convert (ore, etc) into metal. 14 photog to decrease the density of (a negative or print). 15 surgery to put back into a normal condition or position (eg an organ, dislocation or fracture). reducibility noun. reducible adj.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Latin reducere to lead back.