3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Reduction  \Re*duc"tion\  (r?*d?k"sh?n),  n.  [F.  r['e]duction,  L. 
  reductio.  See  {Reduce}.] 
  1.  The  act  of  reducing,  or  state  of  being  reduced;  conversion 
  to  a  given  state  or  condition;  diminution;  conquest;  as 
  the  reduction  of  a  body  to  powder;  the  reduction  of  things 
  to  order  the  reduction  of  the  expenses  of  government;  the 
  reduction  of  a  rebellious  province. 
 
  2.  (Arith.  &  Alq.)  The  act  or  process  of  reducing.  See 
  {Reduce},  v.  t.,  6.  and  {To  reduce  an  equation},  {To 
  reduce  an  expression},  under  {Reduce},  v.  t. 
 
  3.  (Astron.) 
  a  The  correction  of  observations  for  known  errors  of 
  instruments,  etc 
  b  The  preparation  of  the  facts  and  measurements  of 
  observations  in  order  to  deduce  a  general  result. 
 
  4.  The  process  of  making  a  copy  of  something  as  a  figure, 
  design,  or  draught,  on  a  smaller  scale,  preserving  the 
  proper  proportions.  --Fairholt. 
 
  5.  (Logic)  The  bringing  of  a  syllogism  in  one  of  the 
  so-called  imperfect  modes  into  a  mode  in  the  first  figure. 
 
  6.  (Chem.  &  Metal.)  The  act  process,  or  result  of  reducing; 
  as  the  reduction  of  iron  from  its  ores;  the  reduction  of 
  aldehyde  from  alcohol. 
 
  7.  (Med.)  The  operation  of  restoring  a  dislocated  or 
  fractured  part  to  its  former  place 
 
  {Reduction  ascending}  (Arith.),  the  operation  of  changing 
  numbers  of  a  lower  into  others  of  a  higher  denomination, 
  as  cents  to  dollars. 
 
  {Reduction  descending}  (Arith.),  the  operation  of  changing 
  numbers  of  a  higher  into  others  of  a  lower  denomination, 
  as  dollars  to  cents. 
 
  Syn:  Diminution;  decrease;  abatement;  curtailment; 
  subjugation;  conquest;  subjection. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  reduction 
  n  1:  the  act  of  decreasing  or  reducing  something  [syn:  {decrease}, 
  {diminution},  {step-down}]  [ant:  {increase}] 
  2:  any  process  in  which  electrons  are  added  to  an  atom  or  ion 
  (as  by  removing  oxygen  or  adding  hydrogen);  always  occurs 
  accompanied  by  oxidation  of  the  reducing  agent  [syn:  {reducing}] 
  3:  the  act  of  reducing  complexity  [syn:  {simplification}] 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  reduction 
 
  (Or  "contraction")  The  process  of  transforming  an  expression 
  according  to  certain  reduction  rules  The  most  important 
  forms  are  {beta  reduction}  (application  of  a  {lambda 
  abstraction}  to  one  or  more  argument  expressions)  and  {delta 
  reduction}  (application  of  a  mathematical  function  to  the 
  required  number  of  arguments). 
 
  An  {evaluation  strategy}  (or  {reduction  strategy}),  determines 
  which  part  of  an  expression  (which  redex)  to  reduce  first 
  There  are  many  such  strategies. 
 
  See  {graph  reduction},  {string  reduction},  {normal  order 
  reduction},  {applicative  order  reduction},  {parallel 
  reduction},  {alpha  conversion},  {beta  conversion},  {delta 
  conversion},  {eta  conversion}. 
 
  (1995-02-21) 
 
 

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