səbˈtrakt verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin subtractus, past participle of subtrahere to draw from beneath, withdraw, from sub- + trahere to pull, draw — more at trace
transitive verb
1. archaic : to withdraw or take away originally by stealth : withhold ; also : to take away (common land) by enclosing
2. archaic : to remove (as oneself) from some specified situation : take elsewhere
3. : to take away (as a part, a quantity, or a number) by deducting — used with from or out of
subtract 5 from 9
— compare subtraction c
intransitive verb
: to perform a subtraction : calculate by subtraction