a. Excessively subtle. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. (Geom.) The part of the axis contained between the ordinate and tangent drawn to the same point in a curve. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Being or living under Tartarus; infernal. “Subtartarean powers.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. sub- + L. tectum a roof. ] A space under a roof; a tabernacle; a dwelling. [ Obs. ] Davies (Holy Roode). [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. subtegulaneus; sub under + tegulare tiles for a roof. ] Under the roof or eaves; within doors. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) One who rents a tenement, or land, etc., of one who is also a tenant; an undertenant. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Subtended; p. pr. & vb. n. Subtending. ] [ L. subtendere; sub under + tendere to stretch, extend. See Tend. ] To extend under, or be opposed to; as, the line of a triangle which subtends the right angle; the chord subtends an arc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. subtendere, subtentum. See Subtend, Tense, a. ] (Geom.) A line subtending, or stretching across; a chord; as, the subtense of an arc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Slightly tepid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Somewhat terete. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. subterfluens, p. pr. of subterfluere to flow beneath; subter under + fluere to flow. ] Running under or beneath. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., from LL. subterfugium, fr. L. subterfugere to flee secretly, to escape; subter under + fugere to flee. See Fugitive. ] That to which one resorts for escape or concealment; an artifice employed to escape censure or the force of an argument, or to justify opinions or conduct; a shift; an evasion. [ 1913 Webster ]

Affect not little shifts and subterfuges, to avoid the force of an argument. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

By a miserable subterfuge, they hope to render this position safe by rendering it nugatory. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. L. subterraneum, F. souterrain. See Subterranean. ] A cave or room under ground. [ R. ] J. Bryant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Subterranean. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. subterraneus; sub under + terra earth. See Terrace. ] Being or lying under the surface of the earth; situated within the earth, or under ground; as, subterranean springs; a subterraneous passage. -- Sub`ter*ra"ne*ous*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. A place under ground; a subterrany. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Subterranean. [ Obs. ] Bacon. -- n. A subterranean place. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. subterrenus, equiv. to subterraneus. ] Subterraneous. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Subterranean. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Situated under the optic thalamus. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. subtilis. See Subtile. ] 1. Thin; not dense or gross; rare; as, subtile air; subtile vapor; a subtile medium. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Delicately constituted or constructed; nice; fine; delicate; tenuous; finely woven. “A sotil [ subtile ] twine's thread.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

More subtile web Arachne can not spin. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

I do distinguish plain
Each subtile line of her immortal face. Sir J. Davies. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Acute; piercing; searching. [ 1913 Webster ]

The slow disease and subtile pain. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Characterized by nicety of discrimination; discerning; delicate; refined; subtle. [ In this sense now commonly written subtle. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

The subtile influence of an intellect like Emerson's. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Sly; artful; cunning; crafty; subtle; as, a subtile person; a subtile adversary; a subtile scheme. [ In this sense now commonly written subtle. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Sub"tile*ly, adv. -- Sub"tile*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ LL. subtiliare. ] To make thin or rare. [ Obs. ] Harvey. -- Sub`til*i*a"tion n. [Obs.] Boyle. [1913 Webster]

n. The quality or state of being subtile; subtility; subtlety. [ 1913 Webster ]

The high orthodox subtilism of Duns Scotus. Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. subtilitas: cf. F. subtilité. See Subtle. ] Subtilty. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. subtilization. ] 1. The act of making subtile. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Old Chem.) The operation of making so volatile as to rise in steam or vapor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Refinement; subtlety; extreme attenuation. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To refine; to spin into niceties; as, to subtilize arguments. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nor as yet have we subtilized ourselves into savages. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To refine in argument; to make very nice distinctions. Milner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who subtilizes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Contr. fr. subtility. ] 1. The quality or state of being subtile; thinness; fineness; as, the subtility of air or light. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Refinement; extreme acuteness; subtlety. [ 1913 Webster ]

Intelligible discourses are spoiled by too much subtility in nice divisions. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Cunning; skill; craft. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To learn a lewd man this subtility. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Slyness in design; artifice; guile; a cunning design or artifice; a trick; subtlety. [ 1913 Webster ]

O full of all subtility and all mischief. Acts xiii. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In senses 2, 3, and 4 the word is more commonly written subtlety. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle stratagem. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Things remote from use, obscure and subtle. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Smooth and deceptive. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground [ bowling ground ]. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being subtle; subtlety. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

The fox which lives by subtlety. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Nice discernment with delicacy of mental action; nicety of discrimination. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Something that is sly, crafty, or delusive. [ 1913 Webster ]

Unlearned in the world's false subtleties. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a subtle manner; slyly; artfully; cunningly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou seest how subtly to detain thee I devise. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Nicely; delicately. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the nice bee what sense so subtly true. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Subtly communicating itself to my sensibilities, but evading the analysis of my mind. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Deceitfully; delusively. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Phonetics) A subtonic sound or element; a vocal consonant, as b, d, g, n, etc.; a subvocal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) The seventh tone of the scale, or that immediately below the tonic; -- called also subsemitone. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Nearly torrid. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who subtracts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The subtrahend. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. subtractio a drawing back. See Subtract, and cf. Substraction. ] 1. The act or operation of subtracting or taking away a part. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) The withdrawing or withholding from a person of some right to which he is entitled by law. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Tending, or having power, to subtract. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Math.) Having the negative sign, or sign minus. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 (the minuend) to find the difference. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]

a. Not perfectly translucent. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not perfectly transparent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The public officer who has charge of a subtreasury. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Subtreasuries A subordinate treasury, or place of deposit; as, the United States subtreasury at New York. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Nearly, but not perfectly, triangular. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot. & Zool.) A division of a tribe; a group of genera of a little lower rank than a tribe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Approaching the form of a three-sided pyramid; as, the subtrihedral crown of a tooth. Owen. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Math.) Containing a third, or one part to three. Bp. Wilkins. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Math.) Expressed by the cube root; -- said especially of ratios. [ 1913 Webster ]

Subtriplicate ratio, the ratio of the cube root; thus, the subtriplicate ratio of a to b is &cuberoot_;a to &cuberoot_;b, or &cuberoot_;a/b. [ 1913 Webster ]