Reducibly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that allows for simplification or reduction into more basic components or forms
2. Capable of being broken down or simplified to its essential elements
3. Pertaining to the ability to lessen or make smaller while retaining fundamental characteristics

Etymology: "Reducibly" is simply "reducible" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, so the word's history is the history of its base. "Reducible" comes from "reduce," which traces back through Middle English and Old French to the Latin "reducere," meaning "to lead back" or "bring back," built from "re-" (back) and "ducere" (to lead). The sense of "lead back" gradually broadened into "bring to a smaller or simpler state," which is why "reducible" can describe things that can be cut down or simplified. The adverb adds the sense of manner: something is done in a reducible way, or can be reduced in such a way that its essentials remain. The "-ly" ending is one of English's most productive adverb-forming suffixes, attached freely to adjectives to describe how an action or quality is carried out.

Synonyms: simplifiably