Reduction

How to spell reduction

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce reduction

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does reduction mean?

1. nounThe act or amount of making something smaller, lower or less.

Reduction in a sentence

• The store advertised a fifty percent reduction on all winter coats.

• The new budget calls for a sharp reduction in office spending.

Where does reduction come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin reductio, meaning a 'leading back' or 'bringing back', formed from the verb reducere. That verb joins the prefix re-, meaning 'back', with ducere, meaning 'to lead' or 'to bring', so its literal sense was simply to lead something back to an earlier place or state. The same ducere root sits inside a large family of English words including 'conduct', 'produce', 'introduce' and 'duke', all of which involve some kind of leading. English borrowed reduction through Old French in the late Middle Ages, and over time the sense narrowed from any 'bringing back' toward the modern idea of bringing an amount, size or price down. The hidden -duc- spelled with a 'c' is the spelling clue worth remembering, since it preserves that ancient 'leading' root rather than the 'duck' sound many people hear.

How the word is built

• re- (back)
• duc (lead)
• -tion (noun of action)