subtract

Where does the word "subtract" come from? It comes from Latin subtrahere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Subtract’s story begins in Latin: subtrahere meant “to draw from under.” To draw from under, from sub- (under) and trahere (to draw). It reached English by 1400s as subtract. Settled as the English word for taking one number away from another. Today, subtract means to take one number or amount away from another.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient subtrahere "to draw from under", to draw from under, from sub- (under) and trahere (to draw).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s subtract "to take one number or amount away from another", settled as the English word for taking one number away from another.