Chapter 115

2. Delicately constituted or constructed; nice; fine; delicate; tenuous; finely woven. "A sotil [subtile] twine's thread." Chaucer.

More subtile web Arachne can not spin.

Spenser.

I do distinguish plain Each subtile line of her immortal face.

Sir J. Davies.

3. Acute; piercing; searching.

The slow disease and subtile pain.

Prior.

5. Characterized by nicety of discrimination; discerning; delicate; refined; subtle. [In this sense now commonly written subtle.]

The genius of the Spanish people is exquisitely subtile, without being at all acute; hence there is so much humor and so little wit in their literature. The genius of the Italians, on the contrary, is acute, profound, and sensual, but not subtile; hence what they think to be humorous, is merely witty.

Coleridge.

The subtile influence of an intellect like Emerson's.

Hawthorne.

5. Sly; artful; cunning; crafty; subtle; as, a subtile person; a subtile adversary; a subtile scheme. [In this sense now commonly written subtle.]

Syn. -- Subtile, Acute. In acute the image is that of a needle's point; in subtile that of a thread spun out to fineness. The acute intellect pierces to its aim; the subtile (or subtle) intellect winds its way through obstacles.

-- Sub"tile*ly, adv. -- Sub"tile*ness, n.

Sub*til"i*ate (?), v. t. [LL. subtiliare.] To make thin or rare. [Obs.] Harvey. -- Sub`til*i*a"tion (#), n. [Obs.] Boyle.

Sub"til*ism (?), n. The quality or state of being subtile; subtility; subtlety.

The high orthodox subtilism of Duns Scotus.

Milman.

Sub*til"i*ty (?), n. [L. subtilitas: cf. F. subtilité. See Subtle.] Subtilty. [R.]

Sub`til*i*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. subtilization.] 1. The act of making subtile.

2. (Old Chem.) The operation of making so volatile as to rise in steam or vapor.

3. Refinement; subtlety; extreme attenuation.

Sub"til*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Subtilized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Subtilizing (?).] [L. subtiliser.] 1. To make thin or fine; to make less gross or coarse.

2. To refine; to spin into niceties; as, to subtilize arguments.

Nor as yet have we subtilized ourselves into savages.

Burke.

Sub"til*ize, v. i. To refine in argument; to make very nice distinctions. Milner.

Sub"til*i`zer (?), n. One who subtilizes.

Sub"til*ty (?), n. [Contr. fr. subtility.] 1. The quality or state of being subtile; thinness; fineness; as, the subtility of air or light.

2. Refinement; extreme acuteness; subtlety.

Intelligible discourses are spoiled by too much subtility in nice divisions.

Locke.

3. Cunning; skill; craft. [Obs.]

To learn a lewd man this subtility.

Chaucer.

4. Slyness in design; artifice; guile; a cunning design or artifice; a trick; subtlety.

O full of all subtility and all mischief.

Acts xiii. 10.

In senses 2, 3, and 4 the word is more commonly written subtlety.

Sub"tle (?), a. [Compar. Subtler (?); superl. Subtlest (?).] [OE. sotil, subtil, OF. soutil, later subtil, F. subtil, L. subtilis; probably, originally, woven fine, and fr. sub under + tela a web, fr. texere to weave. See Text, and cf. Subtile.] 1. Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; -- applied to persons; as, a subtle foe. "A subtle traitor." Shak.

2. Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle stratagem.

3. Characterized by refinement and niceness in drawing distinctions; nicely discriminating; -- said of persons; as, a subtle logician; refined; tenuous; sinuous; insinuating; hence, penetrative or pervasive; -- said of the mind; its faculties, or its operations; as, a subtle intellect; a subtle imagination; a subtle process of thought; also, difficult of apprehension; elusive.

Things remote from use, obscure and subtle.

Milton.

4. Smooth and deceptive. [Obs.]

Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground [bowling ground].

Shak.

Syn. -- Artful; crafty; cunning; shrewd; sly; wily. Subtle is the most comprehensive of these epithets and implies the finest intellectual quality. See Shrewd, and Cunning.

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Sub"tle*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being subtle; subtlety.

Sub"tle*ty (?), n.; pl. Subtleties (#). [OE. sotelte, sutilte, OF. sotillete, L. subtilitas. See Subtle, and cf. Subtility.] 1. The quality or state of being subtle, or sly; cunning; craftiness; artfulness.

The fox which lives by subtlety.

Shak.

2. Nice discernment with delicacy of mental action; nicety of discrimination.

3. Something that is sly, crafty, or delusive.

Unlearned in the world's false subtleties.

Shak.

Sub"tly (?), adv. In a subtle manner; slyly; artfully; cunningly.

Thou seest how subtly to detain thee I devise.

Milton.

2. Nicely; delicately.

In the nice bee what sense so subtly true.

Pope.

Subtly communicating itself to my sensibilities, but evading the analysis of my mind.

Hawthorne.

3. Deceitfully; delusively. [Obs.] Shak.

Sub*ton"ic (?), a. (Phonetics) Applied to, or distinguishing, a speech element consisting of tone, or proper vocal sound, not pure as in the vowels, but dimmed and otherwise modified by some kind of obstruction in the oral or the nasal passage, and in some cases with a mixture of breath sound; -- a term introduced by Dr. James Rush in 1833. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§155, 199-202.

Sub*ton"ic, n. 1. (Phonetics) A subtonic sound or element; a vocal consonant, as b, d, g, n, etc.; a subvocal.

2. (Mus.) The seventh tone of the scale, or that immediately below the tonic; -- called also subsemitone.

Sub*tor"rid (?), a. Nearly torrid.

Sub*tract" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Subtracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Subtracting.] [L. subtractus, p. p. of subtrahere to draw from beneath, withdraw, remove; sub under + trahere to draw. See Trace, v. t., and cf. Substract.] To withdraw, or take away, as a part from the whole; to deduct; as, subtract 5 from 9, and the remainder is 4.

Sub*tract"er (?), n. 1. One who subtracts.

2. The subtrahend. [Obs.]

Sub*trac"tion (?), n. [L. subtractio a drawing back. See Subtract, and cf. Substraction.] 1. The act or operation of subtracting or taking away a part.

2. (Math.) The taking of a lesser number or quantity from a greater of the same kind or denomination; an operation for finding the difference between two numbers or quantities.

3. (Law) The withdrawing or withholding from a person of some right to which he is entitled by law.

Thus the subtraction of conjugal rights is when either the husband or wife withdraws from the other and lives separate without sufficient reason. The subtraction of a legacy is the withholding or detailing of it from the legatee by the executor. In like manner, the withholding of any service, rent, duty, or custom, is a subtraction, for which the law gives a remedy. Blackstone.

Sub*trac"tive (?), a. 1. Tending, or having power, to subtract.

2. (Math.) Having the negative sign, or sign minus.

Sub"tra*hend` (?), n. [L. subtrahendus that is to be subtracted, p.fut.pess. of subtrahere. See Subtract.] (Math.) The sum or number to be subtracted, or taken from another.

Sub`trans*lu"cent (?), a. Not perfectly translucent.

Sub`trans*pa"rent (?), a. Not perfectly transparent.

Sub*treas"ur*er (?), n. The public officer who has charge of a subtreasury. [U. S.]

Sub*treas"ur*y (?), n.; pl. Subtreasuries (&?;). A subordinate treasury, or place of deposit; as, the United States subtreasury at New York. [U. S.]

Sub`tri*an"gu*lar (?), a. Nearly, but not perfectly, triangular. Darwin.

Sub"tribe` (?), n. (Bot. & Zoöl.) A division of a tribe; a group of genera of a little lower rank than a tribe.

Sub`tri*he"dral (?), a. Approaching the form of a three-sided pyramid; as, the subtrihedral crown of a tooth. Owen.

Sub*tri"ple (?), a. (Math.) Containing a third, or one part to three. Bp. Wilkins.

Sub*trip"li*cate (?), a. (Math.) Expressed by the cube root; -- said especially of ratios.

Subtriplicate ratio, the ratio of the cube root; thus, the subtriplicate ratio of a to b is a to b, or a/b.

Sub*trop"ic*al (?), a. Nearly tropical.

Sub*trude" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Subtruded; p. pr. & vb. n. Subtruding.] [Pref. sub- + L. trudere to thrust.] To place under; to insert. [R.]

Sub`tur*ric"u*late (?), a. (Zoöl.) Somewhat turriculate.

Sub*tu"tor (?), n. An under tutor.

Sub*typ"ic*al (?), a. (Zoöl.) Deviating somewhat from the type of a species, genus, or other group; slightly aberrant.

{ Su"bu*late (?), Su"bu*la`ted (?), } a. [NL. subulatus, fr. L. subula an awl.] Very narrow, and tapering gradually to a fine point from a broadish base; awl-shaped; linear.

||Su`bu*li*cor"nes (?), n. pl. [NL., from L. subula an awl + cornu ||horn.] (Zoöl.) A division of insects having slender or subulate ||antennæ. The dragon flies and May flies are examples.

Su"bu*li*form (?), a. Subulate.

Su"bu*li*palp` (?), n. [L. subula an awl + E. palp.] (Zoöl.) One of a group of carabid beetles having slender palpi.

Sub`um*bo"nal (?), a. (Zoöl.) Beneath or forward of the umbos of a bivalve shell.

Sub`um*brel"la (?), n. (Zoöl.) The integument of the under surface of the bell, or disk-shaped body, of a jellyfish.

Sub`un*da"tion (?), n. [Pref. sub- + L. unda a wave.] A flood; a deluge. [Obs.] Huloet.

Sub*un"gual (?), a. Under the nail or hoof.

Sub"urb (?), n. [L. suburbium; sub under, below, near + urbs a city. See Urban.] 1. An outlying part of a city or town; a smaller place immediately adjacent to a city; in the plural, the region which is on the confines of any city or large town; as, a house stands in the suburbs; a garden situated in the suburbs of Paris. "In the suburbs of a town." Chaucer.

[London] could hardly have contained less than thirty or forty thousand souls within its walls; and the suburbs were very populous.

Hallam.

2. Hence, the confines; the outer part; the environment. "The suburbs . . . of sorrow." Jer. Taylor.

The suburb of their straw-built citadel.

Milton.

Suburb roister, a rowdy; a loafer. [Obs.] Milton.

Sub*ur"ban (?), a. [L. suburbanus.] Of or pertaining to suburbs; inhabiting, or being in, the suburbs of a city. "Suburban taverns." Longfellow.

Suburban villas, highway-side retreats, . . . Delight the citizen.

Cowper.

Sub*ur"ban, n. One who dwells in the suburbs.

Sub"urbed (?), a. Having a suburb or suburbs on its outer part.

{ Sub*ur"bi*al (?), Sub*ur"bi*an (?), } a. Suburban. [Obs.] "Suburbial fields." Warton. "Suburbian muse." Dryden.

{ Sub*ur`bi*ca"ri*an (?), Sub*ur"bi*ca*ry (?) }, a. [LL. suburbicarius, equiv. to L. suburbanus: cf. F. suburbicaire. See Suburban.] Being in the suburbs; -- applied to the six dioceses in the suburbs of Rome subject to the pope as bishop of Rome.

The pope having stretched his authority beyond the bounds of his suburbicarian precincts.

Barrow.

Sub`u*re"thral (?), a. (Anat.) Situated under the urethra, or under its orifice.

Sub*vag"i*nal (?), a. (Anat.) Situated under or inside a sheath or vaginal membrane; as, the subvaginal, or subdural, spaces about the optic nerve.

Sub`va*ri"e*ty (?), n.; pl. -ties (&?;). A subordinate variety, or a division of a variety.

Sub*vene" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Subvened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Subvening.] [Pref. sub- + L. venire to come. See Subvention.] To come under, as a support or stay; to happen.

A future state must needs subvene to prevent the whole edifice from falling into ruin.

Bp. Warburton.

Sub`ven*ta"ne*ous (?), a. [Pref. sub- + L. ventus wind.] Produced by the wind. [Obs.]

Sub*ven"tion (?), n. [F., fr. LL. subventio, fr. L. subvenire to come up to one's assistance, to assist. See Souvenir, and cf. Subvene.] 1. The act of coming under. "The subvention of a cloud." Stackhouse.

2. The act of relieving, as of a burden; support; aid; assistance; help.

3. A government aid or bounty.

Sub*ven"tion, v. t. To subventionize.

Sub*ven"tion*ize (?), v. t. To come to the aid of; to subsidize; to support.

Sub`ven*ti"tious (?), a. Helping; aiding; supporting. Urquhart.

Sub*verse" (?), v. t. [L. subversus, p. p. of subvertere. See Subvert.] To subvert. [Obs.] Spenser.

Sub*ver"sion (?), n. [L. subversio: cf. F. subversion. See Subvert.] The act of overturning, or the state of being overturned; entire overthrow; an overthrow from the foundation; utter ruin; destruction; as, the subversion of a government; the subversion of despotic power; the subversion of the constitution.

The subversion [by a storm] of woods and timber . . . through my whole estate.

Evelyn.

Laws have been often abused to the oppression and subversion of that order they were intended to preserve.

Rogers.

Sub*ver"sion*a*ry (?), a. Promoting destruction.

Sub*ver"sive (?), a. [Cf. F. subversif.] Tending to subvert; having a tendency to overthrow and ruin.

Lying is a vice subversive of the very ends and design of conversation.

Rogers.

Sub*vert" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Subverted; p. pr. & vb. n. Subverting.] [L. subvertere, subversum; sub under + vertere to turn: cf. F. subvertir. See Verse.] 1. To overturn from the foundation; to overthrow; to ruin utterly.

These are his substance, sinews, arms, and strength, With which he yoketh your rebellious necks, Razeth your cities, and subverts your towns.

Shak.

This would subvert the principles of all knowledge.

Locke.

2. To pervert, as the mind, and turn it from the truth; to corrupt; to confound. 2 Tim. iii. 14.

Syn. -- To overturn; overthrow; destroy; invert; reverse; extinguish.

Sub*vert" (?), v. i. To overthrow anything from the foundation; to be subversive.

They have a power given to them like that of the evil principle, to subvert and destroy.

Sub*vert"ant (?), a. (Her.) Reversed. [R.]

Sub*ver"te*bral (?), a. (Anat.) Situated beneath, or on the ventral side of, the vertebral column; situated beneath, or inside of, the endoskeleton; hypaxial; hyposkeletal.

Sub*vert"er (?), n. One who, or that which, subverts; an overthrower. Sir T. More.

Sub*vert"i*ble (?), a. That may be subverted.

Sub*vi"tal*ized (?), a. Imperfectly vitalized; having naturally but little vital power or energy.

Sub*vo"cal (?), a. & n. Same as Subtonic.

Sub"way` (?), n. An underground way or gallery; especially, a passage under a street, in which water mains, gas mains, telegraph wires, etc., are conducted.

Sub*work"er (?), n. A subordinate worker or helper. South.

Sub*zon"al (?), a. (Anat.) Situated under a zone, or zona; -- applied to a membrane between the zona radiata and the umbilical vesicle in the mammal embryo.

Sub*zyg`o*mat"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Situated under the zygoma or zygomatic process.

Suc"cade (?), n. [L. succus, sucus, juice: cf. F. succade a sugarbox. Cf. Sucket.] 1. A sweetmeat. [Obs.] Holland.

2. pl. (Com.) Sweetmeats, or preserves in sugar, whether fruit, vegetables, or confections. Blakely.

Succade gourd. (Bot.) Same as Vegetable marrow, under Vegetable.

Suc"ce*dane (?), n. A succedaneum. [Obs.]

Suc`ce*da"ne*ous (?), a. [L. succedaneus. See Succeed.] Pertaining to, or acting as, a succedaneum; supplying the place of something else; being, or employed as, a substitute for another. Sir T. Browne.

Suc`ce*da"ne*um (?), n.; pl. Succedanea (#). [NL. See Succedaneous.] One who, or that which, succeeds to the place of another; that which is used for something else; a substitute; specifically (Med.), a remedy used as a substitute for another.

In lieu of me, you will have a very charming succedaneum, Lady Harriet Stanhope.

Walpole.

Suc*ceed" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Succeeded; p. pr. & vb. n. Succeeding.] [L. succedere, successum; sub under + cedere to go, to go along, approach, follow, succeed: cf. F. succéder. See Cede, and cf. Success.] 1. To follow in order; to come next after; hence, to take the place of; as, the king's eldest son succeeds his father on the throne; autumn succeeds summer.

As he saw him nigh succeed.

Spenser.

2. To fall heir to; to inherit. [Obs. & R.] Shak.

3. To come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue.

Destructive effects . . . succeeded the curse.

Sir T. Browne.

4. To support; to prosper; to promote. [R.]

Succeed my wish and second my design.

Dryden.

Suc*ceed", v. i. 1. To come in the place of another person, thing, or event; to come next in the usual, natural, or prescribed course of things; to follow; hence, to come next in the possession of anything; -- often with to.

If the father left only daughters, they equally succeeded to him in copartnership.

Sir M. Hale.

Enjoy till I return Short pleasures; for long woes are to succeed!

Milton.

2. Specifically: To ascend the throne after the removal the death of the occupant.

No woman shall succeed in Salique land.

Shak.

3. To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve. Shak.

4. To obtain the object desired; to accomplish what is attempted or intended; to have a prosperous issue or termination; to be successful; as, he succeeded in his plans; his plans succeeded.

It is almost impossible for poets to succeed without ambition.

Dryden.

Spenser endeavored it in Shepherd's Kalendar; but neither will it succeed in English.

Dryden.

5. To go under cover. [A latinism. Obs.]

Will you to the cooler cave succeed!

Dryden.

Syn. -- To follow; pursue. See Follow.

Suc*ceed"ant (?), a. (Her.) Succeeding one another; following.

Suc*ceed"er (?), n. A successor. Shak. Tennyson.

Suc*ceed"ing, n. The act of one who, or that which, succeeds; also, that which succeeds, or follows after; consequence. Shak.

Suc"cen*tor (?), n. [LL., an accompanier in singing, fr. succinere to sing, to accompany; sub under, after + canere to sing.] (Eccl.) A subchanter.

Suc*cess" (?), n. [L. successus: cf. F. succès. See Succeed.] 1. Act of succeeding; succession. [Obs.]

Then all the sons of these five brethren reigned By due success.

Spenser.

2. That which comes after; hence, consequence, issue, or result, of an endeavor or undertaking, whether good or bad; the outcome of effort.

Men . . . that are like to do that, that is committed to them, and to report back again faithfully the success.

Bacon.

Perplexed and troubled at his bad success The tempter stood.

Milton.

3. The favorable or prosperous termination of anything attempted; the attainment of a proposed object; prosperous issue.

Dream of success and happy victory!

Shak.

Or teach with more success her son The vices of the time to shun.

Waller.

Military successes, above all others, elevate the minds of a people.

Atterbury.

4. That which meets with, or one who accomplishes, favorable results, as a play or a player. [Colloq.]

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Suc"ces*sa*ry (?), n. Succession. [Obs.]

My peculiar honors, not derived From successary, but purchased with my blood.

Beau. & Fl.

Suc*cess"ful (?), a. Resulting in success; assuring, or promotive of, success; accomplishing what was proposed; having the desired effect; hence, prosperous; fortunate; happy; as, a successful use of medicine; a successful experiment; a successful enterprise.

Welcome, nephews, from successful wars.

Shak.

Syn. -- Happy; prosperous; fortunate; auspicious; lucky. See Fortunate.

-- Suc*cess"ful*ly, adv. -- Suc*cess"ful*ness, n.

Suc*ces"sion (?), n. [L. successio: cf. F. succession. See Succeed.] 1. The act of succeeding, or following after; a following of things in order of time or place, or a series of things so following; sequence; as, a succession of good crops; a succession of disasters.

2. A series of persons or things according to some established rule of precedence; as, a succession of kings, or of bishops; a succession of events in chronology.

He was in the succession to an earldom.

Macaulay.

3. An order or series of descendants; lineage; race; descent. "A long succession must ensue." Milton.

4. The power or right of succeeding to the station or title of a father or other predecessor; the right to enter upon the office, rank, position, etc., held ny another; also, the entrance into the office, station, or rank of a predecessor; specifically, the succeeding, or right of succeeding, to a throne.

You have the voice of the king himself for your succession in Denmark.

Shak.

The animosity of these factions did not really arise from the dispute about the succession.

Macaulay.

5. The right to enter upon the possession of the property of an ancestor, or one near of kin, or one preceding in an established order.

6. The person succeeding to rank or office; a successor or heir. [R.] Milton.

Apostolical succession. (Theol.) See under Apostolical. -- Succession duty, a tax imposed on every succession to property, according to its value and the relation of the person who succeeds to the previous owner. [Eng.] -- Succession of crops. (Agric.) See Rotation of crops, under Rotation.

Suc*ces"sion*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a succession; existing in a regular order; consecutive. "Successional teeth." Flower. -- Suc*ces"sion*al*ly, adv.

Suc*ces"sion*ist, n. A person who insists on the importance of a regular succession of events, offices, etc.; especially (Eccl.), one who insists that apostolic succession alone is valid.

Suc*ces"sive (?), a. [Cf. F. successif. See Succeed.] 1. Following in order or in uninterrupted course; coming after without interruption or interval; following one after another in a line or series; consecutive; as, the successive revolution of years; the successive kings of Egypt; successive strokes of a hammer.

Send the successive ills through ages down.

Prior.

2. Having or giving the right of succeeding to an inheritance; inherited by succession; hereditary; as, a successive title; a successive empire. [Obs.] Shak.

Successive induction. (Math.) See Induction, 5.

Suc*ces"sive*ly, adv. In a successive manner.

The whiteness, at length, changed successively into blue, indigo, and violet.

Sir I. Newton.

Suc*ces"sive*ness, n. The quality or state of being successive.

Suc*cess"less (?), a. Having no success.

Successless all her soft caresses prove.

Pope.

-- Suc*cess"less*ly, adv. -- Suc*cess"less*ness, n.

Suc*ces"sor (?), n. [OE. successour, OF. successur, successor, F. successeur, L. successor. See Succeed.] One who succeeds or follows; one who takes the place which another has left, and sustains the like part or character; -- correlative to predecessor; as, the successor of a deceased king. Chaucer.

A gift to a corporation, either of lands or of chattels, without naming their successors, vests an absolute property in them so lond as the corporation subsists.

Blackstone.

Suc*cid"u*ous (?), a. [L. succiduus, fr. succidere to fall under.] Ready to fall; falling. [R.]

Suc*cif"er*ous (?), a. [L. succus, sucus, juice, sap + -ferous.] Producing or conveying sap.

Suc`cin*am"ate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of succinamic acid.

Suc`cin*am"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid amide derivative of succinic acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance, and forming a series of salts.

Suc"ci*nate (?), n. [L. succinum, sucinum, amber, from succus, sucus, juice, sap: cf. F. succinate.] (Chem.) A salt of succinic acid.

Suc*cinct" (?), a. [L. succinctus, p. p. of succingere to gird below or from below, to tuck up; sub + cingere to gird. Cf. Cincture.] 1. Girded or tucked up; bound; drawn tightly together.

His habit fit for speed succinct.

Milton.

2. Compressed into a narrow compass; brief; concise.

Let all your precepts be succinct and clear.

Roscommon.

The shortest and most succinct model that ever grasped all the needs and necessities of mankind.

South.

Syn. -- Short; brief; concise; summary; compendious; laconic; terse.

-- Suc*cinct"ly, adv. -- Suc*cinct"ness, n.

Suc*cin"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. succinique. See Succinate.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, amber; specif., designating a dibasic acid, C&?;H&?;.(CO&?;H)&?;, first obtained by the dry distillation of amber. It is found in a number of plants, as in lettuce and wormwood, and is also produced artificially as a white crystalline substance having a slightly acid taste.