Adjective

(en adjective)

Causing the physical reduction or diminution of something.

(chemistry, metallurgy, biology) That reduces a substance etc. to a more simple or basic form.

*1848 , F Knapp, Chemical Technology; Or, Chemistry Applied to the Arts and to Manufactures :

*:On the relative reductive powers of different classes of American coals, as demonstrated by the experiments with oxide of lead.

*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-03

, author= , title=The Smallest Cell , volume=101, issue=2, page=83 , magazine= citation , passage=It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.}}

*1847 , John Johnson, The theological works of the rev. John Johnson :

*:But then beside the primary and direct sense of the text, the ancients commonly supposed that there was a reductive or anagogical meaning, in which it might be taken.

Adjective

(er)

(obsolete) Polished, burnished; smooth; fine, neat, spruce.

(of speech or style) Brief, concise, to the point.

* 1907 , , title page:

"A consise and comprehensive dictionary of general knowledge consisting of over 16,000 terse and original articles on nearly all subjects discussed in larger encyclopaedias,"

* {{quote-news, year=2012, date=June 4, author=Lewis Smith, work=the Guardian

, title= Queen's English Society says enuf is enough, innit? , passage=Having attempted to identify a role for the society and its magazine, Quest, "for the next 40 years", the society chairman, Rhea Williams, decided it was time to close. She announced the group's demise in a terse message to members following the annual meeting, which just 22 people attended.}}

Abruptly or brusquely short.