reduce

1. (v) (transitive) To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower. 2. (v) (intransitive) To lose weight. 3. (v) (transitive) To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote. 4. (v) (transitive) To bring to an inferior state or condition. 5. (v) (transitive) To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture. 6. (v) (transitive, cooking) To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off. 7. (v) (transitive, mathematics) To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value. 8. (v) (transitive, computer science) To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm. 9. (v) (transitive, law) To convert to written form. (Usage note: this verb almost always appears as "reduce to writing".) 10. (v) (transitive, medicine) To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment. 11. (v) (transitive, chemistry) To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen. 12. (v) (transitive, metallurgy) To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter. 13. (v) (transitive, logic) To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form. 14. (v) (transitive, phonetics, phonology) To pronounce (a sound or word) with less effort. 15. (v) (transitive) To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy). 16. (v) (transitive, military) To strike off the payroll. 17. (v) (transitive, Scots law) To annul by legal means. 18. (v) (transitive, military) To reform a line or column from (a square). 19. (v) (transitive, obsolete) To translate (a book, document, etc.).