Sottratto

Sottratto is the past participle of the Italian verb sottrarre, which means to remove, take away, or subtract. In everyday language it indicates that something has been subtracted from a total or otherwise taken away. In mathematics, sottrazione is the operation of subtracting one number from another, with sottratto describing the result or the item that has been removed. For example: “Ho sottratto 5 dal totale di 12, ottenendo 7.”

As a participle or adjective, sottratto can describe something that has been removed or deducted. It is common in financial or accounting contexts, for instance: “un importo sottratto dal bilancio” or “spese sottratte.” In compound tenses, the verb sottrarre uses avere as the auxiliary (ho sottratto, hai sottratto, ha sottratto, etc.). When functioning as an adjective, sottratto agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies, e.g., “importo sottratto” (maschile singolare) and “spese sottratte” (femminile plurale).

Etymology and usage notes: sottratto derives from Latin subtrahere, literally “to pull away from underneath” (sub- meaning under and trahere meaning to pull). The term is widely used beyond pure mathematics, including finance, law, and everyday speech, wherever something is removed, deducted, or taken away from a whole.

Voci correlate: sottrazione, sottrarre.