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reduce

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English reducen, from Old French reduire, from Latin redūcō (“reduce”); from re- (“back”) + dūcō (“lead”). See duke, and compare with redoubt.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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reduce (third-person singular simple present reduces, present participle reducing, simple past and past participle reduced)

  1. (transitive) To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower.
    to reduce weight, speed, heat, expenses, price, personnel etc.
    • 2012 January, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 10 November 2013, page 60:
      Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.
    • 2022 January 12, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Emergency timetables as absences surge due to COVID”, in RAIL, number 948, page 6:
      Most train operators have reduced services with emergency timetables, as they struggle to cope with a rapid increase in staff absences due to the Omicron variant of COVID.
  2. (intransitive) To lose weight.
  3. (transitive) To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.
    to reduce a sergeant to the ranks
  4. (transitive) To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.
    to reduce a province or a fort
  5. (transitive) To bring to an inferior state or condition.
    to reduce a city to ashes
  6. (transitive) To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy).
    reduced to silence
    • 1983 December 31, “What a Drag”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 24, page 9:
      The press release calls him "the hottest female impressionist in show business today." (One wonders how many more words press agents will have to come up with before they are reduced to actually saying "drag queen.")
  8. (transitive, cooking) To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off.
    • 2011, Edward Behr, James MacGuire, The Art of Eating Cookbook: Essential Recipes from the First 25 Years.:
      Serve the oxtails with mustard or a sauce made by reducing the soup, if any is left, to a slightly thick sauce.
  10. (transitive, chemistry) To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen.
    Formaldehyde can be reduced to form methanol.
  11. (transitive, metallurgy) To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter.
  12. (transitive, mathematics) To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value.
  13. (transitive, computer science) To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm.
  14. (transitive, logic) To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form.
  15. (transitive, law) To convert to written form. (Usage note: this verb almost always appears as "reduce to writing".)
    It is important that all business contracts be reduced to writing.
  17. (transitive, medicine) To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment.
  18. (transitive, military) To reform a line or column from (a square).
  19. (transitive, military) To strike off the payroll.
  20. (transitive, Scots law) To annul by legal means.
  21. (transitive, phonetics, phonology) To pronounce (a sound or word) with less effort.
    The first vowel of support is reduced to schwa by most English speakers.
  22. (transitive, obsolete) To translate (a book, document, etc.).
    a book reduced into English

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of “to bring down”): increase

Derived terms

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Translations

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to decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

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References

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Galician

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Verb

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reduce

  1. inflection of reducir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Italian

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Etymology 1

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Inherited from Latin redux (“that returns”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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reduce m or f by sense (plural reduci)

  1. returning [with da ‘from’]

Noun

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reduce m or f by sense (plural reduci)

  1. survivor
    Synonym: sopravvissuto
  2. veteran
    Synonym: veterano

Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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reduce

  1. third-person singular present indicative of (archaic) redurre

References

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  1. ^ reduce in Bruno Migliorini et al., Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia, Rai Eri, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 reduce in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Further reading

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  • rèduce in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

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Latin

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Etymology 1

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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redūce

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of redūcō

Etymology 2

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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rĕduce

  1. ablative masculine/feminine/neuter singular of rē̆dux

Romanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin reducere, French réduire, based on duce. Compare the inherited doublet arăduce.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /reˈdu.t͡ʃe/, [re̞ˈd̪u.t͡ʃe̞]
  • Rhymes: -ut͡ʃe
  • Hyphenation: re‧du‧ce

Verb

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a reduce (third-person singular present reduce, past participle redus, third-person subjunctive reducă) 3rd conjugation

  1. (transitive) to reduce, to lessen

Conjugation

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    conjugation of reduce (third conjugation, past participle in -s)
infinitive a reduce
gerund reducând
past participle redus
number singular plural
person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
indicative eu tu el/ea noi voi ei/ele
present reduc reduci reduce reducem reduceți reduc
imperfect reduceam reduceai reducea reduceam reduceați reduceau
simple perfect redusei reduseși reduse reduserăm reduserăți reduseră
pluperfect redusesem reduseseși redusese reduseserăm reduseserăți reduseseră
subjunctive eu tu el/ea noi voi ei/ele
present să reduc să reduci să reducă să reducem să reduceți să reducă
imperative — tu — — voi —
affirmative redu reduceți
negative nu reduce nu reduceți

Derived terms

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See also

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Further reading

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Spanish

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Verb

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reduce

  1. inflection of reducir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative
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