Definition of: reduction

(ri·duk′shən) noun
1. The act or process of reducing, or its results.
2. Biol. The halving of the total number of chromosomes during meiotic cell division.
3. Chem. a The process of depriving a compound of oxygen. b The process of decreasing the positive valence of an element by the addition of electrons: distinguished from oxidation.
4. Math. a One of those formulas by means of which trigonometric functions of angles greater than 90° can be reduced to functions of angles less than 90°. b The process of expressing a fraction in decimal terms. See synonyms under ABBREVIATION. [<F réduction <L reductio, -onis <reductus, pp. of reducere. See REDUCE.]
—re·duc′tion·al adjective
—re·duc′tive adjective