altering something (as a legislative act or a statement) in such a manner as to reduce its value; "the adoption of their amendments would have amounted to an evisceration of the act"
surgical removal of an organ (or the contents of an organ) from a patient
the act of decreasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope
(physiology) a shortening or tensing of a part or organ (especially of a muscle or muscle fiber)
a word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds; "`won't' is a contraction of `will not'"; "`o'clock' is a contraction of `of the clock'"
the act of subtracting (removing a part from the whole); "he complained about the subtraction of money from their paychecks"
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"
a contraction of economic activity resulting in a decline of prices
(geology) the erosion of soil as a consequence of sand and dust and loose rocks being removed by the wind; "a constant deflation of the desert landscape"
expectorated matter; saliva mixed with discharges from the respiratory passages; in ancient and medieval physiology it was believed to cause sluggishness