Reduttive

Reduttive is not a standard English adjective. It is generally regarded as a misspelling or rare variant of reductive, the form used in formal writing. The standard word reductive comes from Latin reducere and means tending to reduce or to simplify by reducing complex phenomena to simpler components, or relating to reduction in scientific contexts.

In English usage, reductive describes explanations, analyses, or processes that oversimplify reality by focusing on basic components. It is common in philosophy (reductive explanations that try to account for phenomena in fundamental terms), linguistics, psychology, and the sciences. In chemistry, reductive can describe reactions or conditions involving reduction.

The form reduttive with a double consonant is not widely recognized as a separate term in major dictionaries and is typically considered a typographical error or influence from non-English spellings. When encountered, it is advisable to replace it with reductive unless the author intentionally uses it to signal a nonstandard variant or a typographical variant in a specific manuscript.

To avoid ambiguity, writers should prefer reductive when describing reductionist approaches or analyses. Related concepts include reductionism and reductant (a chemical species that effects reduction) as well as reduction in chemistry.

See also: reductive; reductionism; reductant; reduction (chemistry).