[re.duc.tion.ism] n (1943) 1: the attempt to explain all biological processes by the same explanations (as by physical laws) that chemists and physicists use to interpret inanimate matter; also: the theory that complete reductionism is possible
2: a procedure or theory that reduces complex data or phenomena to simple terms; esp: oversimplification -- re.duc.tion.ist n or adj -- re.duc.tion.is.tic adj