n.
Pronunciation: s ə b- ' trak-sh ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English subtraccion, from Anglo-French sustraction, subtraction, from Late Latin subtraction-, subtractio, from Latin subtrahere
Date: 15th century
: an act, operation, or instance of subtracting: as a : the withdrawing or withholding of a right to which an individual is entitled b : the operation of deducting one number from another