subtract

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   take off or away

   this prefix was subtracted when the word was borrowed from French

2. 2
   verb

   make a subtraction

   subtract this amount from my paycheck

3. 3
   verb

   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.

Etymology

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