REDUCTION


Meaning of REDUCTION in English

/ rɪˈdʌkʃn; NAmE / noun

1.

[ C , U ] reduction (in sth) an act of making sth less or smaller; the state of being made less or smaller :

a 33% reduction in the number of hospital beds available

There has been some reduction in unemployment.

a slight / significant / substantial / drastic reduction in costs

2.

[ C ] an amount of money by which sth is made cheaper :

There are reductions for children sharing a room with two adults.

3.

[ C ] a copy of a photograph, map, picture, etc. that is made smaller than the original one

OPP enlargement

4.

( chemistry ) the fact of adding one or more electrons to a substance or of removing oxygen from a substance

—compare oxidation

••

WORD ORIGIN

late Middle English (denoting the action of bringing back): from Old French , or from Latin reductio(n-) , from reducere bring back, restore, from re- back, again + ducere bring, lead. The sense development was broadly similar to that of reduce ; senses 1 and 2 date from the late 17th cent.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.