subduev.

Brit.

/səbˈdjuː/,

/səbˈdʒuː/, U.S.

/səbˈd(j)u/

Forms:

α. Middle English sodeuwe, Middle English sodewe, Middle English sodue, Middle English soduwe, Middle English suddewe, Middle English sudewe, Middle English suduwe.

β. late Middle English subdeuwe, late Middle English subduew, late Middle English subduw, late Middle English subdw, late Middle English suldwe (transmission error), late Middle English–1500s subdwe, late Middle English–1600s subdew, late Middle English–1600s subdewe, late Middle English– subdue, 1500s subdu; Scottish pre-1700 subdeu, pre-1700 subdew, pre-1700 subdew (past participle), pre-1700 subdewe, pre-1700 subdieu, pre-1700 1700s– subdue; regional and nonstandard 1800s– subjue.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymons: French suduire, subdure.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman soduire, souduire, suduire, subdure to restrain or control (one's heart, mind, actions, etc.) (beginning of the 13th cent. or earlier as suzdure ), to bring (an enemy, people, territory, etc.) into subjection by conquest or physical force (1345 or earlier), specific sense developments (by association with classical Latin subdere to make subordinate, to subject: see subdit adj. and n.) of Anglo-Norman and Old French soduire , souduire , suduire to entice (a person) into performing an immoral or illegal action, to corrupt (a person) morally (c1100 in Old French; in Anglo-Norman also as susduire , suzduire , suzdure ) < classical Latin subdūcere to draw up or away, to withdraw, to remove by stealth, to purge, evacuate, to calculate (see subduce v., subduct v.), but semantically influenced early on by association with classical Latin sēdūcere seduce v.The β. forms show remodelling after classical Latin sub- sub- prefix. Compare post-classical Latin subduere (1439 in a British source; < English). Anglo-Norman subduer (1482 or earlier in Littleton) probably shows remodelling after the English form subdue. Outside French, the only other reflex of classical Latin subdūcere in a Romance language is Italian †soddurre, †sodurre to deceive (a person), to seduce, to corrupt (a person) morally (a1276).

a. transitive. To bring (an enemy, people, territory, etc.) into subjection by conquest or physical force.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > victory > make victorious [verb (transitive)] > bring into subjection

subduea1387

subjugate1447

suppressc1450

quash1556

repress1582

reduce1605

society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > a people or nation

afaitec1325

subduea1387

subjugate1447

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 19 [He] wente and sodewed [L. subjugavit] Siria.

a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 150 Is hyghnes shalbe myghty, and off poiar to subdue his ennemyes.

1486 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 54 I subdewid Fraunce.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Zech. ix. 15 They shall consume and deuoure, and subdue them with slynge stones.

1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 iii. iii. 82 Iohn of Gaunt, That did subdue the greatest part of Spaine.

1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre i. 14 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian Since God hath given us Victory, and the glory of subduing a City.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 691 To overcome in Battel, and subdue Nations.

1705 tr. W. Bosman New Descr. Coast of Guinea i. 4 Several Authors have represented Guinea as a Mighty Kingdom, whose Prince by his Victoriousness had subdued numerous Countries.

1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall IV. xlvii. 582 The Samaritans were finally subdued by the regular forces of the East: twenty thousand were slain.

1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India I. iv. i. 397 They even assert that the same kings subdued Tibet on the east, and Cambója..on the west.

1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar xix. 330 He [sc. Cæsar] wished to hand over his conquests to his successor not only subdued but reconciled to subjection.

1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 31/2 Abd-ar-rahman subdued the nobles by means of a mercenary army.

2007 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 3 Aug. 23 Tony Blair dispatched a task force of 500 Royal Marines who succeeded in subduing the rebels.

b. transitive. With to (also under, †unto). To make (a people, a territory, etc.) subject to the power or authority of another; to bring under the control of. Now somewhat archaic.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > make subject to

underputc1374

subjecta1382

subduea1398

summitc1400

inclinec1425

submit?c1425

endanger1551

vassalize1599

servanta1616

vassal1615

vassalage1648

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vi. xviii. 317 Whanne I hadde sudewid [L. subjugassem] al þe world to my lordschipe.

c1450 (c1415) in W. O. Ross Middle Eng. Serm. (1940) 246 (MED) All þe dewels þer dredys þe name of þis glorious Virgyne and ben subdewed to hur powere.

a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 111 Whan Nembroth..made and incorperate the first realme, and subdued it to hymself bi tyrannye.

c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) xi. 71 Ȝour ald enemes hes intendit to..subdieu ȝou to there dominione.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. x. sig. X5^v Thus Brute this Realme vnto his rule subdewd.

1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xvii. 88 When a man..by Warre subdueth his enemies to his will.

1695 J. Crull tr. S. Puffendorf Introd. Hist. Principal Kingdoms Europe iv. §29. 160 The King being thus driven out of the Island, the Scots were entirely subdu'd under the Conduct of General Monk, who was sent thither by Cromwell.

1793 ‘Mr. Addison’ Coll. Interesting Anecd. 217 He might subdue them to his laws, and to the dominion of the King of Spain.

1805 J. J. Stockdale tr. Hist. Events & Trans. India 233 The facility with which all the province of Cuttack was subdued to the authority of the British government, rendered useless all further attempt to negotiate.

1869 Meliora 12 141 The whole of Somersetshire was then subdued to the authority of the Parliament.

1903 Anamosa Prison Press 19 Dec. 1/3 The Moros..are very proud of the victories they have won over the battalions sent to subdue them under the Spanish flag.

1997 P. Green tr. Apollonios Rhodios Argonautika iii. 122 He's ready to recompense you.., having heard from me of your bitter foes the Sarmatians, will subdue them to your rule.

†c. transitive. To reduce (a person) to order or obedience. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > make obedient

master?c1225

atame1340

tamec1384

reclaima1393

reducec1475

subduea1525

range1587

to bring ina1599

tawne1606

entamea1616

puppify1660

to bring to1747

a1525 ( Coventry Leet Bk. (1908) II. 493 To subdue such personez as here late offended; diuerse of which personez be nowe late indyted of ryott & trasspas [etc.].

d. transitive. figurative and in extended use.

ΚΠ

1537 T. Palmer Let. in Lisle Papers (P.R.O.: SP 3/9/32) f. 43 At this owr capptain reson hathe subdued malyncoly.

1565 J. Hall Expositiue Table 92 in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. The prune..is a fructe sayeth Galen, of small nuryshment, but doth meanly moyste and coole the belly, and by his moisture and stimines, subdueth the same.

1611 Bible (King James) Dan. ii. 40 Forasmuch as yron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 56 Burrs and Brambles..th' unhappy Field subdue .

1769 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) II. xxxv. 53 Before you subdue their hearts, you must gain a noble victory over your own.

1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. I. i. v. 44 A gigantic question..which I must take by the beard and utterly subdue.

1870 R. W. Emerson Society & Solitude 119 He who shall bravely..subdue this Gorgon of Convention and Fashion.

a1938 T. Wolfe You can't go Home Again (1940) ii. 26 He well knew what was needed:..to subdue the world's blind and brutal force of ignorance.

2003 J. Flanders Victorian House (2004) xi. 359 Those previously no-go areas had been invaded and subdued: Bond Street, the Strand, the City had all been colonized by shops and therefore by women shoppers.

e. transitive. To overcome or overpower (a person or animal) by physical strength or violence.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > suppress, repress, or put down > by violence

suppressc1450

subdue1590

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. v. 26 Full many doughtie knights he..Had..subdewde in equall frayes.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. ii. 82 If he doe resist, Subdue him at his perill.

1755 T. Smollett tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote I. i. 5 If..I should engage with some giant..and overthrow him in the field, by cleaving him in twain, or in short, disarm and subdue him.

1790 E. Helme tr. F. Le Vaillant Trav. from Cape of Good-Hope I. 223 The best way to subdue him is to hunt him with some good dogs, and while the Buffalo is busily defending himself from their attack, a shot in the head.

1814 E. Bancroft Exper. Res. conc. Philos. Permanent Colours II. 325 It [sc. an octopus] has been supposed to possess an electric or galvanic power..and to be thereby assisted in subduing its prey.

1880 E. C. Brewer Reader's Handbk. Allusions II. 477/2 Sir Gareth, after fighting with him from dawn to dewy eve, subdued him.

1912 Jrnl. House of Delegates Virginia ix. 7 [He] rushed to the guard's rescue and helped to subdue the prisoner.

1967 Jet 11 May 10 The deputies..finally subdued the enraged woman.

2008 Independent 17 Mar. 5/1 One of the ‘have-a-go-heroes’ who helped police subdue two would-be suicide bombers at Glasgow airport last year.

a. transitive (reflexive). To submit to (also under, with) something or somebody; to allow oneself to be governed by.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject or subdue [verb (reflexive)]

subduec1425

vassal1615

to school down1867

c1425 Bk. Found. St. Bartholomew's (1923) 20 (MED) I shall commytte me And all myne to seynt Barthilmewe..And to his seruyce I shall me subdew.

a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 34 (MED) Þan shal he sitte to deme, þat now subduiþ him mekely to þe iugementes of men.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xiii. i. 37 The catall, quhilkis favorit langeyr The beist ourcummyn as thar cheif and heyr, Now thame subdewis vndir his ward in hy Quhilk has the ovirhand.

1697 J. Phillips Augustus Britannicus 6 They, their own Foes, their native Hearths betray'd, And to subdue themselves with Foreign Conquest joyn'd.

1722 W. Willymott tr. Thomas à Kempis Of Imitation of Christ ii. xii. 178 No man is qualified to comprehend heavenly things, till he hath beat down and subdued himself to the bearing of adversities for the sake of Christ.

1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. ii. xxx. 196 The laborious, though imperfect struggles of my life to subdue myself to a sincere obedience to thy laws.

1832 Ld. Tennyson Dream Fair Women lxvi, in Poems (new ed.) 138 It comforts me in this one thought to dwell—That I subdued me to my father's will.

1870 C. Dickens Edwin Drood ii. 10 I must subdue myself to my vocation.

1907 G. E. Woodberry R. W. Emerson i. 38 He was incapable of taking a social view, of subduing himself to the mass even as their leader.

2009 F. S. Calhoun & S. W. Weston Threat Assessment & Managem. Strategies iv. 75 The threat manager reasoned that as long as Anne subdued herself to Tom's demands, then the threats worked.

b. transitive. To bring to a condition of subjection by intimidation, determination, persuasion, or other means not involving physical force; to prevail over, get the better of; to make subject to (a particular authority, governing force, etc.). Also intransitive.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > suggestion, proposal > suggest [verb (transitive)] > affect by suggestion, influence > and subdue

subduec1449

captivate?1531

psych1931

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 83 (MED) Thouȝ Holi Writt..be reulid bi resoun..ther of folewith not that the worthier in that that he is worthier is subdewid vndir reule of the vnworthier as he is the vnworthier.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. xviii. 22 He ouercame not the multitude with bodely power..but with the worde he subdued him that vexed him.

a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 8 Ther ys no best so strong..but to man by wysdom he ys subduyd.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccccv The Prynces..by a certen feare and terrour subdued.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 492 This mans threats, To whom I am subdude, are but light to me.

a1674 Earl of Clarendon Brief View Leviathan (1676) 158 To curb and subdue that Clergy that was indevoted to him.

1707 J. Lacy Warnings Eternal Spirit: 2nd Pt. iii. 18 Correct thy People's Wandrings, Subdue their Pride, Hypocrisy and Worldliness.

1739 Gentleman's Mag. 9 173 He was frequently afflicted with Returns of his Distemper, which yet did not so far subdue him, as to make him lay aside his Studies.

1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 266 God has form'd thee with a wiser view, Not to be led in chains, but to subdue.

1829 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 210/2 The excommunication was now suspended for three days, during which the Archbishop of Treves attempted to subdue him by persuasion.

1891 G. Meredith One of our Conquerors II. v. 124 Contempt of any supposed affectation, which was not ostentatiously..practised to subdue the sex.

1934 Los Angeles Times 30 Sept. vi. 1/2 Dean did the trick today, pitching expertly in the ‘clutches’ to subdue the Cincinnati batsman.

1969 I. S. Wright in S. Sherry et al. Thrombosis vi. 702 The clinicians involved must subdue their own personalities to the common cause.

2009 Time Out (Nexis) 19 Mar. 72 The exploitation of notions of hysteria and madness to control and subdue women.

c. transitive. figurative and in extended use. Also intransitive.

ΚΠ

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 73 It miȝte seme that God wolde not subdewe or submitte and remytte and sende him [sc. Holy Scripture] to resoun, for to be interpretid.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Phil. iii. 21 Acordinge to y^e workynge wherby he is able to subdue all thinges vnto himselfe.

1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 416 Wild without art, or artfully subdu'd, Nature in ev'ry form inspires delight.

1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. i. ii. 14 And so..did this [growth] of Royalty,..spring up; and grow mysteriously, subduing and assimilating.

1876 R. W. Emerson Resources in Lett. & Social Aims 125 We have seen the railroad and telegraph subdue our enormous geography.

1922 Jrnl. Missouri State Med. Assoc. Apr. 191/2 It shows how little headway we have made in the task the Creator assigned us to subdue the earth.

1941 B. Miller Farewell Leicester Square viii. 159 The same suit, glossy of cuff, degenerate of pocket: a suit..subdued, trodden down by the routine of his own personality.

2006 Smithsonian July 37/1 The ‘go-aheadness’ of the American character..subdues even nature by its energy and perseverance.

d. transitive. Of a person: to restrain or control (the body, mind, actions, etc.); to stop oneself from expressing (thoughts, emotions, etc.); to suppress. Frequently reflexive.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > make emotionally unfeeling [verb (transitive)] > suppress emotions

forbearOE

refrainc1384

repressa1393

subdue1483

suppressa1500

squat1577

to bite in1608

contain?1611

to keep ina1616

swallowa1643

society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > bring under control

temec897

subdue1483

subjugate?1518

to hold or have in leash1564

school1579

to saddle and bridle1646

to grab (also take) by the balls1934

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. cccix^v/2 For to adaunte & subdue my prowde flesshe I rose at mydnyght alle the weke long.

?1504 W. Atkinson tr. Thomas à Kempis Ful Treat. Imytacyon Cryste (Pynson) iii. xii. 207 This sensuall appetite is to be subdued..vnto it haue lerned to be content with fewe thynges.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. EEEii^v We muste..subdue all our inordinat thoughtes.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. ii. 82 He doth with holie abstinence subdue That in himselfe, which he spurres on his powre To qualifie in others.

1621 T. W. tr. S. Goulart Wise Vieillard ix. 61 Old men..subdue themselues, get the vpper-hand and master those passions.

1711 T. Bishop Serm. preach'd Morning Lect. in Exon 24 Those whose Souls are purified,..who have been subduing their evil Dispositions and Passions.

1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. ii. 42 Having subdued his own feelings, he resolved not to yield to those of his wife.

1832 J. Richardson Wacousta III. 87 For a moment he hesitated,..but quickly subduing his indecision, he hurriedly unfastened the clasp.

1863 ‘G. Eliot’ Romola I. xx. 331 She herself wished to subdue certain importunate memories.

1895 J. M. Falkner Lost Stradivarius (1896) 284 I would subdue my curiosity and defer the questions I was burning to put till after our return.

1922 Atlantic Monthly Oct. 455/2 For their sakes, you can subdue yourself.

1983 N.Y. Mag. 24 Oct. 118/2 Singers..dutifully subduing their own personalities to accommodate the conductor's conception.

2002 A. Pearson I don't know how she does It (2003) xix. 176 To serve so selflessly, you have to subdue something in yourself.

e. transitive. To bring to a low state; to reduce. Also: †to bring from a high position (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > adversity > suffer (adversity or affliction) [verb (transitive)] > bring to lower condition or lay low

settle1338

subduea1500

decaya1535

redact1542

reduce1567

to lay any one on his back1662

a1500 tr. A. Chartier Quadrilogue (Rawl.) (1974) 154 (MED) I dowbte me sore that all thre [classes of people] shal be subdewed from the dignite of þeir estatis.

1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xi. 63 Nothing could haue subdued nature To such a lownes, but his vnkind daughters.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iv. xv. 74 His face subdu'de To penetratiue shame.

1929 Personalist 10 179 Those who dread to see the gusto and peculiarity of life subdued to Robotic uniformity.

2000 P. Hobsbaum in J. McGonigal & R. Price Star you steer By 37 He lives the simple life of one subdued to poverty.

†f. transitive. To achieve, attain (a purpose). Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > make a success of [verb (transitive)] > succeed in or achieve a purpose

reacheOE

awinc1000

attain1393

speedc1400

comprehenda1450

escheve1489

to make out1535

consecute1536

compass1549

achievea1569

aspire1581

obtain1589

subdue1590

to go a long (also great, short, etc.) way1624

arrivea1657

kill1899

nail1981

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. ix. sig. V4 Perhaps my succour..Mote stead you much your purpose to subdew.

g. transitive. Of a quality, event, etc.: to have the effect of making (a person) submissive or compliant; to seduce, win over. Also: to calm down; to make quiet. Also intransitive.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > make submissive

stoopc1275

to lead by the sleevec1425

to lead by the nose1583

subdue1598

woman1611

melt1668

to make a woman of1742

society > authority > subjection > obedience > manageability > manage [verb (transitive)] > make compliant

supplea1393

subdue1598

1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost i. ii. 172 His [sc. Love's] disgrace is to be called Boy, but his glorie is to subdue men.

a1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 263 Ane feminnat prince subdewit and intyssit be the allurment..of this wickit woman.

1719 C. Cibber Ximena i. i. 4 The Goodness of Alvarez must subdue him.

a1785 T. Leland Serm. Var. Subj. (1788) I. x. 252 The blandishments of prosperity, and the rigours or distress, are equally ineffectual to subdue him.

1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. iv. iv. 156 Pigot, with a hardihood which subdued them;..declared that..he would furnish no money.

1858 Harper's Mag. Apr. 626/2 He hesitated, but a lightning glance from Paré subdued him, and he assented.

1861 H. A. Jacobs Incidents Life Slave Girl v. 44 Sometimes he assumed a gentleness that he thought must surely subdue.

1897 Public-school Jrnl. 16 322/2 The boy's heart melted; Ben's moral gallantry subdued him.

1916 H. Spender Gen. Botha 257 They were subdued by his untiring placability.

1988 D. Lessing Fifth Child (1989) 78 She still surged with the adrenaline that had given her the impetus to come, but the long drive had subdued her.

1997 N.Y. Times 5 Dec. b22/5 The holiday seems to subdue them: there's not a lot of lightning-fast displays.

3. transitive. To bring (land) under cultivation; to cultivate. Now rare.Later uses are perhaps figurative (see sense 2c.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivate or till [verb (transitive)]

begoc890

workOE

tillc1200

exercise1382

dightc1400

labourc1400

manure1416

cultive?1483

tilth1496

culture1510

trim1517

dress1526

subdue1535

toil1552

use1558

farm1570

cultivate1588

tame1601

husbandize1625

culturate1631

to take in1845

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Gen. i. D Growe, and multiplie, and fyll the earth, and subdue it.

1628 T. May tr. Virgil Georgicks i. 6 Nor is't unwholesome to subdue the Land By often exercise.

1749 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 115/2 The level country is..subdued and fitted for tillage.

1794 S. Williams Nat. & Civil Hist. Vermont 307 Their lands, which they had..subdued by extreme labour.

1829 B. Hall Trav. N. Amer. I. 86 In proportion as the soil is brought into cultivation, or subdued, to use the local phrase.

1867 J. Ruskin Time & Tide xxv. §176 Set..to subduing wild and unhealthy land.

2009 Irish Times (Nexis) 18 June 13 Where modern agriculture uses mechanised brawn to subdue the soil and extract food, we were shown how permaculture is about brain power.

4. transitive. Medicine. To allay; to reduce.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > heal or cure [verb (transitive)] > alleviate

palea1400

delivera1413

palliate?a1425

succour1526

pallify?1543

lenify1574

subdue1591

1591 J. Hester tr. J. Du Chesne True Spagerike Prepar. Minerals i, in tr. J. Du Chesne Breefe Aunswere Expos. I. Aubertus sig. G2 All which according to their nature and qualitie do exhilerate the hart, subdue melancholy and frensies, restore the spirites, and strength decayed.

1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 134 The iuyce of Cedars; which by the extreme..siccatiue faculty..subdued the cause of interior corruption.

1732 J. Arbuthnot Pract. Rules of Diet i. 256 Cresses, Radishes, Horse-Radishes,..subdue Acidity.

1804 J. Abernethy Surg. Observ. 176 The inflammation of the brain was now subdued.

1809 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 21 52 Although the hysteric affections were still very troublesome, she could now completely subdue them by the use of pills.

1829 S. Cooper Good's Study Med. (ed. 3) II. 515 The inflammation is to be subdued by blood-letting.

1858 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 17 Apr. 307/1 Proper means were adopted to subdue the swelling.

1912 Times 11 Dec. 13/6 (advt.) The burning itching is subdued and allayed at once, and the patient is thus able to obtain the much desired and needed sleep.

1960 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 15 Oct. 1165/1 Thinking that the inflammation would be best subdued by penicillin, I was surprised when he came back in a couple of days.

2010 L. M. Fishman & A. N. Wilkins Functional Electromyography x. 150 By the wedding day the clicking and pain were subdued 40–50%.

a. transitive. To reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, colour, light, etc.); to tone down. Cf. subdued adj. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > make less violent or severe [verb (transitive)] > make less forceful or vigorous

extenuate1561

quay1590

retund1604

lower1666

weaken1683

subdue1723

feeble1831

soft-pedal1898

the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > tone down

temperc1000

modifyc1385

softenc1410

tame?a1500

qualify1536

temperatea1540

extenuate1561

supple1609

dilute1665

palliate1665

weaken1683

subdue1723

lower1780

modulate1783

to shade away1817

to water down1832

to water down1836

sober1838

veil1843

to tone down1847

to break down1859

soothe1860

tone1884

to key down1891

soft-pedal1912

1723 T. Newcomb Last Judgm. Men & Angels v. 140 Horror mingled with dire shame Sadden'd his Visage, which almost subdued Heaven's Light.

1799 H. Lee Canterbury Tales III. 135 A circular pavillion..where both light and heat were subdued by shades.

1816 P. B. Shelley Alastor 12 With voice stifled in tremulous sobs Subdued by its own pathos.

1846 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters (ed. 3) I. 96 The warm colours of distance, even the most glowing, are subdued by the air.

1885 Manufacturer & Builder Sept. 207/2 The phonoporic telephone receiver, intended to subdue the noises of telegraphs, and of electrical induction generally.

1902 Photogram July 105 Glasses..which, when placed in front of the lens which projects the red image, will subdue the red.

1922 F. J. Koch How to syndicate Manuscripts i. 4 Between hearth and porch a soft blue rug, an inch in thickness, subdued the sound of footsteps as the host and his guest..walked about.

2007 N.Y. Sun (Nexis) 13 Apr. 11 The frosted dividers that subdue light in the real estate office.

b. transitive. To make appear less prominent or salient; to obscure, blur.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > darkness or gloom > make dark or gloomy [verb (transitive)] > make dark, dim, or obscure

duskc1374

to-darkena1382

murkc1425

obscure?a1475

obfusk1490

dusken1550

dusky1567

overdark1568

obtenebrate1578

beveil1582

obfuscate1588

offusque1599

shade1599

slubber1605

dammer1610

offuscate1611

obtenebrize1654

obflisticate1832

subdue1856

darkle1893

1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. ix. 102 Distance is very deceptive upon the ice, subduing its salient features.

1866 N. Macleod Eastward ix. 237 A luxurious atmosphere hung over the gardens, and subdued the sharp statuesque lines of the hills.

1919 Bull. J. Hopkins Hosp. 30 29/1 The skull shadow is..so dense that it would subdue the outlines of shadows cast by any resistant fluid media.

1991 D. E. Axinn Spin (1994) 43 Heat rises from the arid surface of the plains, and softens and subdues the jagged features of the ridges and peaks.

2009 R. Gomez Posing Techniques for Glamour Photogr. v. 61 Adjust your lights to create more dramatic shadows in that area of the neck, subduing the lines.

Phrases

to be subdued to what one works in (and variants): to become reduced in capacity or ability to the standard of one's material; also in extended use of a person's mind or other attributes (chiefly in allusion to Shakespeare: see quot. 1609).

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restriction or limitation > be restricted or limited [verb (intransitive)] > be limited to standard of one's materials

to be subdued to what one works in1609

1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cxi. sig. G4 My nature is subdu'd To what it workes in, like the Dyer's hand.

1822 New Monthly Mag. 4 554 I have been utterly unable to ‘subdue my mind to what it works in’.

1898 Macmillan's Mag. Dec. 114 It is..natural to man to become subdued to what he works in.

1907 W. Raleigh Shakespeare iv. 107 Shakespeare accepted the facts, and subdued his hand to what it worked in.

1926 G. M. Trevelyan Hist. Eng. v. iii. 559 When a man, in defending his country from foreign conquest, has to rely on certain forces, he ceases to be capable of criticizing them. He becomes subdued to the material in which he works.

1987 Guardian (Nexis) 21 Aug. By the end of the book the skills are put to good use, subdued to what they work in, feelings of loss and grief.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	subdue
释义	† subduen. Forms: late Middle English subdeue, late Middle English–1500s subdue. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: subdue v. Etymology: < subdue v. Compare slightly earlier subduing n. Obsolete. Subdual, subjugation; conquest. ΘΚΠ society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > [noun] subduingc1450 subjugationa1456 subdue1483 subjecting1585 overwielding1597 subordinatinga1600 yoking1602 vassalizing1607 subduement1609 captivating1623 subdual1641 envassaling1642 envassalage1652 subjuging1660 subduction1670 1483 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Jan. 1483 §28. m. 2 In defens of this youre seid reame, and subdue of youre enemyes. a1500 ( in F. J. Furnivall Polit., Relig., & Love Poems (1903) 5 Wherefor, prince..Remembere þe Subdeue of þi Regaly, Of Englonde, frawnce, & spayn trewely. 1594 T. Lodge & R. Greene Looking Glasse sig. A4 ^v The worlds subdue. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2020). subduev. Brit. /səbˈdjuː/, /səbˈdʒuː/, U.S. /səbˈd(j)u/ Forms: α. Middle English sodeuwe, Middle English sodewe, Middle English sodue, Middle English soduwe, Middle English suddewe, Middle English sudewe, Middle English suduwe. β. late Middle English subdeuwe, late Middle English subduew, late Middle English subduw, late Middle English subdw, late Middle English suldwe (transmission error), late Middle English–1500s subdwe, late Middle English–1600s subdew, late Middle English–1600s subdewe, late Middle English– subdue, 1500s subdu; Scottish pre-1700 subdeu, pre-1700 subdew, pre-1700 subdew (past participle), pre-1700 subdewe, pre-1700 subdieu, pre-1700 1700s– subdue; regional and nonstandard 1800s– subjue. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymons: French suduire, subdure. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman soduire, souduire, suduire, subdure to restrain or control (one's heart, mind, actions, etc.) (beginning of the 13th cent. or earlier as suzdure ), to bring (an enemy, people, territory, etc.) into subjection by conquest or physical force (1345 or earlier), specific sense developments (by association with classical Latin subdere to make subordinate, to subject: see subdit adj. and n.) of Anglo-Norman and Old French soduire , souduire , suduire to entice (a person) into performing an immoral or illegal action, to corrupt (a person) morally (c1100 in Old French; in Anglo-Norman also as susduire , suzduire , suzdure ) < classical Latin subdūcere to draw up or away, to withdraw, to remove by stealth, to purge, evacuate, to calculate (see subduce v., subduct v.), but semantically influenced early on by association with classical Latin sēdūcere seduce v.The β. forms show remodelling after classical Latin sub- sub- prefix. Compare post-classical Latin subduere (1439 in a British source; < English). Anglo-Norman subduer (1482 or earlier in Littleton) probably shows remodelling after the English form subdue. Outside French, the only other reflex of classical Latin subdūcere in a Romance language is Italian †soddurre, †sodurre to deceive (a person), to seduce, to corrupt (a person) morally (a1276). 1. a. transitive. To bring (an enemy, people, territory, etc.) into subjection by conquest or physical force. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > victory > make victorious [verb (transitive)] > bring into subjection subduea1387 subjugate1447 suppressc1450 quash1556 repress1582 reduce1605 society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > a people or nation afaitec1325 subduea1387 subjugate1447 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 19 [He] wente and sodewed [L. subjugavit] Siria. a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 150 Is hyghnes shalbe myghty, and off poiar to subdue his ennemyes. 1486 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 54 I subdewid Fraunce. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Zech. ix. 15 They shall consume and deuoure, and subdue them with slynge stones. 1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 iii. iii. 82 Iohn of Gaunt, That did subdue the greatest part of Spaine. 1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre i. 14 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian Since God hath given us Victory, and the glory of subduing a City. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 691 To overcome in Battel, and subdue Nations. View more context for this quotation 1705 tr. W. Bosman New Descr. Coast of Guinea i. 4 Several Authors have represented Guinea as a Mighty Kingdom, whose Prince by his Victoriousness had subdued numerous Countries. 1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall IV. xlvii. 582 The Samaritans were finally subdued by the regular forces of the East: twenty thousand were slain. 1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India I. iv. i. 397 They even assert that the same kings subdued Tibet on the east, and Cambója..on the west. 1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar xix. 330 He [sc. Cæsar] wished to hand over his conquests to his successor not only subdued but reconciled to subjection. 1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 31/2 Abd-ar-rahman subdued the nobles by means of a mercenary army. 2007 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 3 Aug. 23 Tony Blair dispatched a task force of 500 Royal Marines who succeeded in subduing the rebels. b. transitive. With to (also under, †unto). To make (a people, a territory, etc.) subject to the power or authority of another; to bring under the control of. Now somewhat archaic. ΘΚΠ society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > make subject to underputc1374 subjecta1382 subduea1398 summitc1400 inclinec1425 submit?c1425 endanger1551 vassalize1599 servanta1616 vassal1615 vassalage1648 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vi. xviii. 317 Whanne I hadde sudewid [L. subjugassem] al þe world to my lordschipe. c1450 (c1415) in W. O. Ross Middle Eng. Serm. (1940) 246 (MED) All þe dewels þer dredys þe name of þis glorious Virgyne and ben subdewed to hur powere. a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 111 Whan Nembroth..made and incorperate the first realme, and subdued it to hymself bi tyrannye. c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) xi. 71 Ȝour ald enemes hes intendit to..subdieu ȝou to there dominione. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. x. sig. X5^v Thus Brute this Realme vnto his rule subdewd. 1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xvii. 88 When a man..by Warre subdueth his enemies to his will. 1695 J. Crull tr. S. Puffendorf Introd. Hist. Principal Kingdoms Europe iv. §29. 160 The King being thus driven out of the Island, the Scots were entirely subdu'd under the Conduct of General Monk, who was sent thither by Cromwell. 1793 ‘Mr. Addison’ Coll. Interesting Anecd. 217 He might subdue them to his laws, and to the dominion of the King of Spain. 1805 J. J. Stockdale tr. Hist. Events & Trans. India 233 The facility with which all the province of Cuttack was subdued to the authority of the British government, rendered useless all further attempt to negotiate. 1869 Meliora 12 141 The whole of Somersetshire was then subdued to the authority of the Parliament. 1903 Anamosa Prison Press 19 Dec. 1/3 The Moros..are very proud of the victories they have won over the battalions sent to subdue them under the Spanish flag. 1997 P. Green tr. Apollonios Rhodios Argonautika iii. 122 He's ready to recompense you.., having heard from me of your bitter foes the Sarmatians, will subdue them to your rule. †c. transitive. To reduce (a person) to order or obedience. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > make obedient master?c1225 atame1340 tamec1384 reclaima1393 reducec1475 subduea1525 range1587 to bring ina1599 tawne1606 entamea1616 puppify1660 to bring to1747 a1525 ( Coventry Leet Bk. (1908) II. 493 To subdue such personez as here late offended; diuerse of which personez be nowe late indyted of ryott & trasspas [etc.]. d. transitive. figurative and in extended use. ΚΠ 1537 T. Palmer Let. in Lisle Papers (P.R.O.: SP 3/9/32) f. 43 At this owr capptain reson hathe subdued malyncoly. 1565 J. Hall Expositiue Table 92 in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. The prune..is a fructe sayeth Galen, of small nuryshment, but doth meanly moyste and coole the belly, and by his moisture and stimines, subdueth the same. 1611 Bible (King James) Dan. ii. 40 Forasmuch as yron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things. View more context for this quotation 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 56 Burrs and Brambles..th' unhappy Field subdue . View more context for this quotation 1769 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) II. xxxv. 53 Before you subdue their hearts, you must gain a noble victory over your own. 1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. I. i. v. 44 A gigantic question..which I must take by the beard and utterly subdue. 1870 R. W. Emerson Society & Solitude 119 He who shall bravely..subdue this Gorgon of Convention and Fashion. a1938 T. Wolfe You can't go Home Again (1940) ii. 26 He well knew what was needed:..to subdue the world's blind and brutal force of ignorance. 2003 J. Flanders Victorian House (2004) xi. 359 Those previously no-go areas had been invaded and subdued: Bond Street, the Strand, the City had all been colonized by shops and therefore by women shoppers. e. transitive. To overcome or overpower (a person or animal) by physical strength or violence. ΘΚΠ society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > suppress, repress, or put down > by violence suppressc1450 subdue1590 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. v. 26 Full many doughtie knights he..Had..subdewde in equall frayes. a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. ii. 82 If he doe resist, Subdue him at his perill. View more context for this quotation 1755 T. Smollett tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote I. i. 5 If..I should engage with some giant..and overthrow him in the field, by cleaving him in twain, or in short, disarm and subdue him. 1790 E. Helme tr. F. Le Vaillant Trav. from Cape of Good-Hope I. 223 The best way to subdue him is to hunt him with some good dogs, and while the Buffalo is busily defending himself from their attack, a shot in the head. 1814 E. Bancroft Exper. Res. conc. Philos. Permanent Colours II. 325 It [sc. an octopus] has been supposed to possess an electric or galvanic power..and to be thereby assisted in subduing its prey. 1880 E. C. Brewer Reader's Handbk. Allusions II. 477/2 Sir Gareth, after fighting with him from dawn to dewy eve, subdued him. 1912 Jrnl. House of Delegates Virginia ix. 7 [He] rushed to the guard's rescue and helped to subdue the prisoner. 1967 Jet 11 May 10 The deputies..finally subdued the enraged woman. 2008 Independent 17 Mar. 5/1 One of the ‘have-a-go-heroes’ who helped police subdue two would-be suicide bombers at Glasgow airport last year. 2. a. transitive (reflexive). To submit to (also under, with) something or somebody; to allow oneself to be governed by. ΘΚΠ society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject or subdue [verb (reflexive)] subduec1425 vassal1615 to school down1867 c1425 Bk. Found. St. Bartholomew's (1923) 20 (MED) I shall commytte me And all myne to seynt Barthilmewe..And to his seruyce I shall me subdew. a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 34 (MED) Þan shal he sitte to deme, þat now subduiþ him mekely to þe iugementes of men. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xiii. i. 37 The catall, quhilkis favorit langeyr The beist ourcummyn as thar cheif and heyr, Now thame subdewis vndir his ward in hy Quhilk has the ovirhand. 1697 J. Phillips Augustus Britannicus 6 They, their own Foes, their native Hearths betray'd, And to subdue themselves with Foreign Conquest joyn'd. 1722 W. Willymott tr. Thomas à Kempis Of Imitation of Christ ii. xii. 178 No man is qualified to comprehend heavenly things, till he hath beat down and subdued himself to the bearing of adversities for the sake of Christ. 1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. ii. xxx. 196 The laborious, though imperfect struggles of my life to subdue myself to a sincere obedience to thy laws. 1832 Ld. Tennyson Dream Fair Women lxvi, in Poems (new ed.) 138 It comforts me in this one thought to dwell—That I subdued me to my father's will. 1870 C. Dickens Edwin Drood ii. 10 I must subdue myself to my vocation. 1907 G. E. Woodberry R. W. Emerson i. 38 He was incapable of taking a social view, of subduing himself to the mass even as their leader. 2009 F. S. Calhoun & S. W. Weston Threat Assessment & Managem. Strategies iv. 75 The threat manager reasoned that as long as Anne subdued herself to Tom's demands, then the threats worked. b. transitive. To bring to a condition of subjection by intimidation, determination, persuasion, or other means not involving physical force; to prevail over, get the better of; to make subject to (a particular authority, governing force, etc.). Also intransitive. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > suggestion, proposal > suggest [verb (transitive)] > affect by suggestion, influence > and subdue subduec1449 captivate?1531 psych1931 c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 83 (MED) Thouȝ Holi Writt..be reulid bi resoun..ther of folewith not that the worthier in that that he is worthier is subdewid vndir reule of the vnworthier as he is the vnworthier. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. xviii. 22 He ouercame not the multitude with bodely power..but with the worde he subdued him that vexed him. a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 8 Ther ys no best so strong..but to man by wysdom he ys subduyd. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccccv The Prynces..by a certen feare and terrour subdued. a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 492 This mans threats, To whom I am subdude, are but light to me. View more context for this quotation a1674 Earl of Clarendon Brief View Leviathan (1676) 158 To curb and subdue that Clergy that was indevoted to him. 1707 J. Lacy Warnings Eternal Spirit: 2nd Pt. iii. 18 Correct thy People's Wandrings, Subdue their Pride, Hypocrisy and Worldliness. 1739 Gentleman's Mag. 9 173 He was frequently afflicted with Returns of his Distemper, which yet did not so far subdue him, as to make him lay aside his Studies. 1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 266 God has form'd thee with a wiser view, Not to be led in chains, but to subdue. 1829 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 210/2 The excommunication was now suspended for three days, during which the Archbishop of Treves attempted to subdue him by persuasion. 1891 G. Meredith One of our Conquerors II. v. 124 Contempt of any supposed affectation, which was not ostentatiously..practised to subdue the sex. 1934 Los Angeles Times 30 Sept. vi. 1/2 Dean did the trick today, pitching expertly in the ‘clutches’ to subdue the Cincinnati batsman. 1969 I. S. Wright in S. Sherry et al. Thrombosis vi. 702 The clinicians involved must subdue their own personalities to the common cause. 2009 Time Out (Nexis) 19 Mar. 72 The exploitation of notions of hysteria and madness to control and subdue women. c. transitive. figurative and in extended use. Also intransitive. ΚΠ c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 73 It miȝte seme that God wolde not subdewe or submitte and remytte and sende him [sc. Holy Scripture] to resoun, for to be interpretid. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Phil. iii. 21 Acordinge to y^e workynge wherby he is able to subdue all thinges vnto himselfe. 1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 416 Wild without art, or artfully subdu'd, Nature in ev'ry form inspires delight. 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. i. ii. 14 And so..did this [growth] of Royalty,..spring up; and grow mysteriously, subduing and assimilating. 1876 R. W. Emerson Resources in Lett. & Social Aims 125 We have seen the railroad and telegraph subdue our enormous geography. 1922 Jrnl. Missouri State Med. Assoc. Apr. 191/2 It shows how little headway we have made in the task the Creator assigned us to subdue the earth. 1941 B. Miller Farewell Leicester Square viii. 159 The same suit, glossy of cuff, degenerate of pocket: a suit..subdued, trodden down by the routine of his own personality. 2006 Smithsonian July 37/1 The ‘go-aheadness’ of the American character..subdues even nature by its energy and perseverance. d. transitive. Of a person: to restrain or control (the body, mind, actions, etc.); to stop oneself from expressing (thoughts, emotions, etc.); to suppress. Frequently reflexive. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > make emotionally unfeeling [verb (transitive)] > suppress emotions forbearOE refrainc1384 repressa1393 subdue1483 suppressa1500 squat1577 to bite in1608 contain?1611 to keep ina1616 swallowa1643 society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > bring under control temec897 subdue1483 subjugate?1518 to hold or have in leash1564 school1579 to saddle and bridle1646 to grab (also take) by the balls1934 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. cccix^v/2 For to adaunte & subdue my prowde flesshe I rose at mydnyght alle the weke long. ?1504 W. Atkinson tr. Thomas à Kempis Ful Treat. Imytacyon Cryste (Pynson) iii. xii. 207 This sensuall appetite is to be subdued..vnto it haue lerned to be content with fewe thynges. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. EEEii^v We muste..subdue all our inordinat thoughtes. a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. ii. 82 He doth with holie abstinence subdue That in himselfe, which he spurres on his powre To qualifie in others. View more context for this quotation 1621 T. W. tr. S. Goulart Wise Vieillard ix. 61 Old men..subdue themselues, get the vpper-hand and master those passions. 1711 T. Bishop Serm. preach'd Morning Lect. in Exon 24 Those whose Souls are purified,..who have been subduing their evil Dispositions and Passions. 1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. ii. 42 Having subdued his own feelings, he resolved not to yield to those of his wife. 1832 J. Richardson Wacousta III. 87 For a moment he hesitated,..but quickly subduing his indecision, he hurriedly unfastened the clasp. 1863 ‘G. Eliot’ Romola I. xx. 331 She herself wished to subdue certain importunate memories. 1895 J. M. Falkner Lost Stradivarius (1896) 284 I would subdue my curiosity and defer the questions I was burning to put till after our return. 1922 Atlantic Monthly Oct. 455/2 For their sakes, you can subdue yourself. 1983 N.Y. Mag. 24 Oct. 118/2 Singers..dutifully subduing their own personalities to accommodate the conductor's conception. 2002 A. Pearson I don't know how she does It (2003) xix. 176 To serve so selflessly, you have to subdue something in yourself. e. transitive. To bring to a low state; to reduce. Also: †to bring from a high position (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > adversity > suffer (adversity or affliction) [verb (transitive)] > bring to lower condition or lay low settle1338 subduea1500 decaya1535 redact1542 reduce1567 to lay any one on his back1662 a1500 tr. A. Chartier Quadrilogue (Rawl.) (1974) 154 (MED) I dowbte me sore that all thre [classes of people] shal be subdewed from the dignite of þeir estatis. 1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xi. 63 Nothing could haue subdued nature To such a lownes, but his vnkind daughters. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iv. xv. 74 His face subdu'de To penetratiue shame. View more context for this quotation 1929 Personalist 10 179 Those who dread to see the gusto and peculiarity of life subdued to Robotic uniformity. 2000 P. Hobsbaum in J. McGonigal & R. Price Star you steer By 37 He lives the simple life of one subdued to poverty. †f. transitive. To achieve, attain (a purpose). Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > make a success of [verb (transitive)] > succeed in or achieve a purpose reacheOE awinc1000 attain1393 speedc1400 comprehenda1450 escheve1489 to make out1535 consecute1536 compass1549 achievea1569 aspire1581 obtain1589 subdue1590 to go a long (also great, short, etc.) way1624 arrivea1657 kill1899 nail1981 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. ix. sig. V4 Perhaps my succour..Mote stead you much your purpose to subdew. g. transitive. Of a quality, event, etc.: to have the effect of making (a person) submissive or compliant; to seduce, win over. Also: to calm down; to make quiet. Also intransitive. ΘΚΠ society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > make submissive stoopc1275 to lead by the sleevec1425 to lead by the nose1583 subdue1598 woman1611 melt1668 to make a woman of1742 society > authority > subjection > obedience > manageability > manage [verb (transitive)] > make compliant supplea1393 subdue1598 1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost i. ii. 172 His [sc. Love's] disgrace is to be called Boy, but his glorie is to subdue men. View more context for this quotation a1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 263 Ane feminnat prince subdewit and intyssit be the allurment..of this wickit woman. 1719 C. Cibber Ximena i. i. 4 The Goodness of Alvarez must subdue him. a1785 T. Leland Serm. Var. Subj. (1788) I. x. 252 The blandishments of prosperity, and the rigours or distress, are equally ineffectual to subdue him. 1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. iv. iv. 156 Pigot, with a hardihood which subdued them;..declared that..he would furnish no money. 1858 Harper's Mag. Apr. 626/2 He hesitated, but a lightning glance from Paré subdued him, and he assented. 1861 H. A. Jacobs Incidents Life Slave Girl v. 44 Sometimes he assumed a gentleness that he thought must surely subdue. 1897 Public-school Jrnl. 16 322/2 The boy's heart melted; Ben's moral gallantry subdued him. 1916 H. Spender Gen. Botha 257 They were subdued by his untiring placability. 1988 D. Lessing Fifth Child (1989) 78 She still surged with the adrenaline that had given her the impetus to come, but the long drive had subdued her. 1997 N.Y. Times 5 Dec. b22/5 The holiday seems to subdue them: there's not a lot of lightning-fast displays. 3. transitive. To bring (land) under cultivation; to cultivate. Now rare.Later uses are perhaps figurative (see sense 2c.). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivate or till [verb (transitive)] begoc890 workOE tillc1200 exercise1382 dightc1400 labourc1400 manure1416 cultive?1483 tilth1496 culture1510 trim1517 dress1526 subdue1535 toil1552 use1558 farm1570 cultivate1588 tame1601 husbandize1625 culturate1631 to take in1845 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Gen. i. D Growe, and multiplie, and fyll the earth, and subdue it. 1628 T. May tr. Virgil Georgicks i. 6 Nor is't unwholesome to subdue the Land By often exercise. 1749 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 115/2 The level country is..subdued and fitted for tillage. 1794 S. Williams Nat. & Civil Hist. Vermont 307 Their lands, which they had..subdued by extreme labour. 1829 B. Hall Trav. N. Amer. I. 86 In proportion as the soil is brought into cultivation, or subdued, to use the local phrase. 1867 J. Ruskin Time & Tide xxv. §176 Set..to subduing wild and unhealthy land. 2009 Irish Times (Nexis) 18 June 13 Where modern agriculture uses mechanised brawn to subdue the soil and extract food, we were shown how permaculture is about brain power. 4. transitive. Medicine. To allay; to reduce. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > heal or cure [verb (transitive)] > alleviate palea1400 delivera1413 palliate?a1425 succour1526 pallify?1543 lenify1574 subdue1591 1591 J. Hester tr. J. Du Chesne True Spagerike Prepar. Minerals i, in tr. J. Du Chesne Breefe Aunswere Expos. I. Aubertus sig. G2 All which according to their nature and qualitie do exhilerate the hart, subdue melancholy and frensies, restore the spirites, and strength decayed. 1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 134 The iuyce of Cedars; which by the extreme..siccatiue faculty..subdued the cause of interior corruption. 1732 J. Arbuthnot Pract. Rules of Diet i. 256 Cresses, Radishes, Horse-Radishes,..subdue Acidity. 1804 J. Abernethy Surg. Observ. 176 The inflammation of the brain was now subdued. 1809 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 21 52 Although the hysteric affections were still very troublesome, she could now completely subdue them by the use of pills. 1829 S. Cooper Good's Study Med. (ed. 3) II. 515 The inflammation is to be subdued by blood-letting. 1858 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 17 Apr. 307/1 Proper means were adopted to subdue the swelling. 1912 Times 11 Dec. 13/6 (advt.) The burning itching is subdued and allayed at once, and the patient is thus able to obtain the much desired and needed sleep. 1960 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 15 Oct. 1165/1 Thinking that the inflammation would be best subdued by penicillin, I was surprised when he came back in a couple of days. 2010 L. M. Fishman & A. N. Wilkins Functional Electromyography x. 150 By the wedding day the clicking and pain were subdued 40–50%. 5. a. transitive. To reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, colour, light, etc.); to tone down. Cf. subdued adj. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > make less violent or severe [verb (transitive)] > make less forceful or vigorous extenuate1561 quay1590 retund1604 lower1666 weaken1683 subdue1723 feeble1831 soft-pedal1898 the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > tone down temperc1000 modifyc1385 softenc1410 tame?a1500 qualify1536 temperatea1540 extenuate1561 supple1609 dilute1665 palliate1665 weaken1683 subdue1723 lower1780 modulate1783 to shade away1817 to water down1832 to water down1836 sober1838 veil1843 to tone down1847 to break down1859 soothe1860 tone1884 to key down1891 soft-pedal1912 1723 T. Newcomb Last Judgm. Men & Angels v. 140 Horror mingled with dire shame Sadden'd his Visage, which almost subdued Heaven's Light. 1799 H. Lee Canterbury Tales III. 135 A circular pavillion..where both light and heat were subdued by shades. 1816 P. B. Shelley Alastor 12 With voice stifled in tremulous sobs Subdued by its own pathos. 1846 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters (ed. 3) I. 96 The warm colours of distance, even the most glowing, are subdued by the air. 1885 Manufacturer & Builder Sept. 207/2 The phonoporic telephone receiver, intended to subdue the noises of telegraphs, and of electrical induction generally. 1902 Photogram July 105 Glasses..which, when placed in front of the lens which projects the red image, will subdue the red. 1922 F. J. Koch How to syndicate Manuscripts i. 4 Between hearth and porch a soft blue rug, an inch in thickness, subdued the sound of footsteps as the host and his guest..walked about. 2007 N.Y. Sun (Nexis) 13 Apr. 11 The frosted dividers that subdue light in the real estate office. b. transitive. To make appear less prominent or salient; to obscure, blur. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > darkness or gloom > make dark or gloomy [verb (transitive)] > make dark, dim, or obscure duskc1374 to-darkena1382 murkc1425 obscure?a1475 obfusk1490 dusken1550 dusky1567 overdark1568 obtenebrate1578 beveil1582 obfuscate1588 offusque1599 shade1599 slubber1605 dammer1610 offuscate1611 obtenebrize1654 obflisticate1832 subdue1856 darkle1893 1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. ix. 102 Distance is very deceptive upon the ice, subduing its salient features. 1866 N. Macleod Eastward ix. 237 A luxurious atmosphere hung over the gardens, and subdued the sharp statuesque lines of the hills. 1919 Bull. J. Hopkins Hosp. 30 29/1 The skull shadow is..so dense that it would subdue the outlines of shadows cast by any resistant fluid media. 1991 D. E. Axinn Spin (1994) 43 Heat rises from the arid surface of the plains, and softens and subdues the jagged features of the ridges and peaks. 2009 R. Gomez Posing Techniques for Glamour Photogr. v. 61 Adjust your lights to create more dramatic shadows in that area of the neck, subduing the lines. Phrases to be subdued to what one works in (and variants): to become reduced in capacity or ability to the standard of one's material; also in extended use of a person's mind or other attributes (chiefly in allusion to Shakespeare: see quot. 1609). ΘΚΠ society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restriction or limitation > be restricted or limited [verb (intransitive)] > be limited to standard of one's materials to be subdued to what one works in1609 1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cxi. sig. G4 My nature is subdu'd To what it workes in, like the Dyer's hand. View more context for this quotation 1822 New Monthly Mag. 4 554 I have been utterly unable to ‘subdue my mind to what it works in’. 1898 Macmillan's Mag. Dec. 114 It is..natural to man to become subdued to what he works in. 1907 W. Raleigh Shakespeare iv. 107 Shakespeare accepted the facts, and subdued his hand to what it worked in. 1926 G. M. Trevelyan Hist. Eng. v. iii. 559 When a man, in defending his country from foreign conquest, has to rely on certain forces, he ceases to be capable of criticizing them. He becomes subdued to the material in which he works. 1987 Guardian (Nexis) 21 Aug. By the end of the book the skills are put to good use, subdued to what they work in, feelings of loss and grief. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.1483v.a1387
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† subduen.

subduev.

Phrases