minus

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. prep. Mathematics Reduced by the subtraction of; less: Ten minus four is six.
2. prep. Informal Without: I went to work minus my ID.
3. adj. Mathematics Negative or on the negative part of a scale: a minus value; minus five degrees.
4. adj. Ranking on the lower end of a designated scale: a grade of A minus.
5. n. Mathematics The minus sign (-).
6. n. Mathematics A negative quantity.
7. n. A deficiency or defect.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Less(by a certain amount): followed by a noun as an apparent object (a preposition, by, to be supplied): as, the net amount is so much minus the waste or tare; 25 minus 9 is 16. In algebra and arithmetic this sense is indicated by the sign —, called the minus sign or sign of subtraction: as, a — b = x, which is read “a minus b equals x”; 25 — 9 = 16.
2. Less than nothing; belonging to the inverse or negative side, as of an account; lying in the direction from the origin of measurement opposite to ordinary quantities: below zero, or below the lowest point of positive or upward reckoning: as, a minus amount or sum (that, is, an amount or sum representing loss or debt); a minus quantity in an equation (that is, one having the minus sign before it); the tempera ture was minus twenty degrees (written —20, and read “twenty degrees below zero”) In some common mathematical phrases, minus seems to he used as an adverb modifying the numeral adjective. Thus astrono-mers speak of the year minus 584 of the Christian era, meaning 585 b. c.
3. Marking or yielding less than nothing or less than zero; negative in value or result: as, the minus sign (see def. 1).
4. Deprived or devoid of; not having; without, as something necessary: as, he escaped minus his hat and coat; a gun minus its lock.
5. Lacking positive value; wanting.

Wiktionary

1. conj. mathematics Difference of the previous number from the following number.
2. prep. informal without.
3. adj. mathematics Negative.
4. adj. On the negative part of a scale.
5. adj. Ranking just below a designated rating.
6. n. mathematics A minus sign (−).
7. n. mathematics A negative quantity.
8. n. A defect or deficiency.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. (Math.) Less; requiring to be subtracted; negative.
2. n. A factor counted as a disadvantage; a loss or potential loss in a situation or plan.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an arithmetic operation in which the difference between two numbers is calculated
2. adj. on the negative side or lower end of a scale
3. adj. involving disadvantage or harm