subtract

Alternative forms

• substract (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin subtractus, perfect passive participle of subtrahō (“I draw from beneath; withdraw, remove”); from sub (“under”) + trahō (“I draw, pull, drag”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /səbˈtɹækt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ækt

Verb

subtract (third-person singular simple present subtracts, present participle subtracting, simple past and past participle subtracted)

1. (transitive, arithmetic) To remove or reduce; especially to reduce a quantity or number

   If you subtract the $100 for gas from the total cost, it was a fairly inexpensive trip.