Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Subtraction has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
an arithmetic operation in which the difference between two numbers is calculated
"the subtraction of three from four leaves one"
"four minus three equals one"
the act of subtracting (removing a part from the whole)
"he complained about the subtraction of money from their paychecks"
The process of subtracting a number from another.
"She performed the subtraction by taking three away from seven to get four."
This word comes from Late Latin subtractio, which means the act of taking something away. It is formed by combining the verb subtract with the suffix -ion.