subtilizev.

Brit.

/ˈsʌtl̩ʌɪz/,

/ˈsʌbtl̩ʌɪz/, U.S.

/ˈsədlˌaɪz/,

/ˈsəbtlˌaɪz/

Forms: 1500s subtelise, 1600s subtelize, 1600s subtillize, 1600s– subtilise, 1600s– subtilize.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin subtilizare.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin subtilizare to argue or reason in a subtle manner, to make subtle distinctions (13th cent.; 14th cent. in a British source) < classical Latin subtīlis subtle adj. + post-classical Latin -izare -ize suffix. In later use influenced semantically by Middle French, French subtiliser to rack one's brains, to think hard (c1380 as †subtilisiier ), to make (a solid substance) fluid or volatile (c1480), to make into a powder (1541), to make (the mind or senses) more acute or penetrating, to exalt, elevate (a soul) (both 1580). Compare Spanish sutilizar (a1536; a1260 as subtilizar ; rare before the late 15th cent.), Portuguese sutilizar (15th cent. as †sotilizar ), (now rare) subtilizar (1587), Italian sottilizzare (14th cent.). Compare earlier subtile v. and subtle v., and later subtlize v. N.E.D. (1915) also gives the pronunciation (sɒ·btiləiz) /ˈsʌbtɪlaɪz/, apparently a spelling pronunciation; P. Roach and J. Hartman Eng. Pronounc. Dict. (1991) record this as an alternative U.S. pronunciation, but 20th-cent. British pronouncing dictionaries do not record it.

(a) intransitive. To argue or reason in a subtle manner; to make subtle distinctions; (sometimes spec. in a negative sense) to split hairs.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > misleading argument, sophistry > excessive subtlety, hair-splitting > pursue subtleties [verb (intransitive)]

windc1386

subtlec1390

subtilea1450

subtilize1592

to cut a feathera1634

to split a hair or hairs1674

to split straws1674

to split words1674

Thomisticate1730

subtlize1821

1592 S. Daniel Complaynt of Rosamond in Delia sig. I4 Th' one autentique made her fit to teach, The other learnt her how to subtelise.

1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 54 In doubtfull Cases hee can subtilize.

1664 J. Fullarton Turtle-dove sig. e3 How could man for his acts apologize, If satan taught him not to subtilize?

a1754 J. Maclaurin Serm. & Ess. (1755) 330 It should make us very cautious how we subtilize against it.

a1797 H. Walpole Mem. George II (1847) II. iv. 115 We were not.., by being taught to subtilize, to lose respect for the essential.

1812 T. Taylor Diss. Philos. Aristotle iii. ii. 395 The schoolmen began to subtilize more and more.

1873 J. A. Symonds Stud. Greek Poets vii. 203 Wrangling, perorating, subtilizing, seeking victory in strife of words.

1907 J. J. Walsh Thirteenth, Greatest of Cent. xvii. 282 Nothing was left for the later Scholastics except..to subtilize to such an extent that Scholasticism soon became a synonym for captious quibbling.

2005 A. van Gemert tr. M. Prantl Shining Heart xiii. 282 Do you want to subtilize, logically analyze and piece together in the spiritual, religious area?

(b) intransitive. With on, upon, about a subject. Also in prepositional passive. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. vi. 40 Of such nature, are the qualities and moodes, that some moderne Philosophers haue so subtilised vpon.

1653 R. Gentilis tr. F. Bacon Nat. & Exper. Hist. Winds 174 They would not subtilize about that subject in infinitum.

1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura v. 107 However afterwards subtiliz'd upon and cultivated.

1758 O. Goldsmith tr. J. Marteilhe Mem. Protestant II. 87 But what will not Men do..who subtilize upon the commonest Duties until they no longer appear binding?

1860 G. P. Marsh Lect. Eng. Lang. xiii. 285 Rask..has subtilized so far upon them [sc. intonations], that few of his own countrymen, even, have sufficient acuteness of ear to follow him.

1877 R. H. Horne in E. B. Browning Lett. to R. H. Horne I. 70 It [sc. shyness] is a species of consciousness which is..resolvable into self-love, subtilise about it as we may.

1901 Inland Printer July 527/2 I am bound to desist from theorizing and subtilizing on the text of the agreement.

1980 W. A. Kaufmann Discovering Mind v. 257 To subtilize about that is a waste of time.

b. transitive. To introduce subtleties or fine distinctions into (an argument, subject, etc.); to argue subtly upon.Often with implications of over-refinement.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > misleading argument, sophistry > excessive subtlety, hair-splitting > render subtle [verb (transitive)]

subtilize1629

supersubtilize1911

1629 E. Sandys Europæ Speculum 155 They which do subtilize the points of goodnes more curiously, will say that Pivs Quintvs was a good Prælat, but no good Prince.

1635 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Donzella Desterrada 33 Speculation too much subtilized makes a man unfit..for the contemplative life.

1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iii. x. 242 'Tis no wonder if the Wit of Man so employ'd, should perplex, involve, and subtilize the signification of Sounds.

1732 D. Waterland Christianity vindicated against Infidelity 48 The Mysticks followed, and deviated in like manner with the former, by over-refining and subtilizing plain Things.

1746 W. Warburton 2 Serm. 16 They spent their whole Lives in agitating and subtilizing Questions of Faith.

1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. ii. i. 78 He commented upon expressions, split and subtilized words.

1860 E. L. Magoon Living Orators in Amer. ix. 430 A strong, unostentatious master who is able,..without formal reasoning, subtilizing and classifying his ideas, to..express it in a manner the most natural, forcible, and just.

1916 B. B. Warfield in D. J. McMillan et al. Sunday iii. 79 Paul subtilizes the requirements of the Seventh Commandment.

1998 J. Olney Memory & Narr. i. 20 Within a few lines he [sc. Augustine] subtilizes and modulates this description.

2. transitive. To render (the mind, the senses, etc.) acute or penetrating; to sharpen; to heighten.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > acuteness of physical senses > make more acute [verb (transitive)]

sharpa1100

sharpenc1450

subtilize1594

1594 L. Lewkenor tr. O. de la Marche Resolued Gentleman f. 23^v To subtilize my remembrance, she made me smell to a Garlande of Knowledge.

1642 H. More Ψυχωδια Platonica sig. N5 Rayes down sent From higher sourse the mind do maken pure, Do clear, do subtilise.

1652 J. Wright tr. J.-P. Camus Nature's Paradox x. 239 See..how the extremity of danger doth subtilize men's Wits.

1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Air Good Air..exhilarates the Heart, subtilizes the Senses, sharpens the Understanding.

1740 J. B. de Freval tr. N. A. Pluche Hist. Heavens II. 293 An useful exercise which subtilized the mind.

1806 Trans. Royal Irish Soc. 10 11 The acute and subtle character of the Arabians, inflamed and subtilized by the influence of a burning sun.

1865 Daily Tel. 9 Nov. 6/6 Subtilising and strengthening his intellect by familiarity with the psychological and ontological problems of the schools.

1925 Times 15 Sept. 18/2 Passion may distort vision, but it can also deepen and subtilize it.

1999 L. Irwin Awakening to Spirit 190 To subtilize the will, feelings, and mind by intending them toward a more conscious, self-aware life of related interactions.

a. transitive. To make (a substance) more fluid or volatile; to make thinner, to rarefy. Also: to refine. Occasionally with into. Also intransitive. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > make less dense [verb (transitive)]

thinc1000

laska1375

rarefya1398

subtilea1425

subtiliate1551

extenuate1559

assubtiliate1582

assubtile1589

attenuate1594

subtilize1597

thinnify1693

the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > become less dense [verb (intransitive)] > make something less dense

subtilize1597

1597 P. Lowe Art Chirurg. ix. Cc 3 If the bloud be grosse, vse frictions to subtilize it and make it runne.

1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1339 For aire is engendred by the extinction of fire: and the same againe being subtilized and rarefied, produceth fire.

1612 Mr. King tr. Benvenuto Passenger i. ii. 103 Those preserued in pickle doe astringe, subtilize, cut, obsterpe and open.

1662 C. Merrett tr. A. Neri Art of Glass xliii That the water may penetrate and subtilise the ingredients.

1680 R. Boyle Exper. & Notes Prodvcibleness Chymicall Princ. i. 26 in Sceptical Chymist (new ed.) Fermentation rarefy's the oyly parts of the Juice of Grapes, and subtilizes them into vinous spirits.

1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Leaves To subtilize..the Abundance of nourishing Sap, and to convey it to the little Buds.

1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 43 Fire only subtilizes and attenuates the earthy matter.

1863 J. F. Kirk Hist. Charles the Bold I. 61 There [sc. in Flanders] the products of the earth are mingled, subtilized, shaped into new forms, exchanged, and redistributed.

1907 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 45 We discern them as built up variously out of the same sub-elemental stuff, which, like the materia prima of the ancients, is subtilised to the verge of evanescence.

2000 R. Grossinger Embryogenesis (rev. ed.) v. 77 As botanical templates breathe sun and air, their starchy matter is continuously subtilized into colors, scents, aroma essences, etheric oils, foods, and medicines.

†b. transitive. To sublimate. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > chemistry > chemical reactions or processes > subject to chemical reactions or processes [verb (transitive)] > subject to named chemical reaction or process > subject to sublimation

sublimea1400

sublimate1559

elevate1607

subtilize1611

extol1657

sublevate1657

alcoholize1670

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Sublimé Argent sublimé, Mercurie subtilized by the Limbecke.

1738 G. Smith tr. Laboratory ii. 43 Repeat this..till you can subtilize no more of the Calx.

†c. transitive. To reduce to small fragments, to pulverize. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

reduce?a1425

weaken1540

projecta1550

brown1570

spiritualize1593

colliquate1603

redisperse1621

imbibe1626

educe1651

to cant off1658

part1663

regalize1664

dint1669

roche1679

subtilizea1722

neutralize1744

develop1756

evolve1772

extricate1790

separate1805

unburn1815

leach1860

methylate1864

nitrate1872

nitre1880

sweeten1885

deflocculate1909

hybridize1959

the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > make less dense [verb (transitive)] > loosen texture > make friable

subtilizea1722

shorten1733

a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husbandry (1757) 7 Stirring the earth, subtilizing it's parts, and turning it up to the air.

1739 E. Carter tr. F. Algarotti Sir I. Newton's Philos. Explain'd II. 112 When they are groun'd (that is, when their Parts are subtilised) their Colours change.

1893 A. E. Waite tr. E. Kelly Alchemical Wrtings Edward Kelly 34 If they have not been ground, repeat your operation, and see that they are ground and subtilized.

a. transitive. To exalt, elevate; to bring to a state of refinement or perfection.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > hope > hope for [verb (transitive)] > raise

subtilize1638

elevate1817

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [verb (transitive)] > purify or refine

slick1340

filec1400

polishc1400

burnish1526

polite1535

extirpate1548

purify1548

soften1579

purgea1582

refine1592

mellow1593

civilize1596

rarefy1600

incivilize1603

sublimate1624

alembicate1627

chastise1627

sublime1631

calcine1635

gentilize1635

ennoble1636

subtilize1638

deconcoct1655

sublimizea1729

smooth1762

absterge1817

decrassify1855

sandpaper1890

1638 T. Whitaker Tree Humane Life 34 What panick feares doth wine prevent in the Souldier subtilising their drooping spirits.

1652 J. Wright tr. J.-P. Camus Nature's Paradox i. 20 What cannot this Passion do when it refineth and subtilizeth thus such young Souls!

1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 114. ⁋5 The art of thievery is..subtilized to higher degrees of dexterity.

1774 J. Bryant New Syst. II. 276 He tries to subtilize, and refine all the base jargon about Saturn.

1836 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 40 329 We subtilize this conception till we fit it to make part of our notion of matter in its utmost abstraction.

1856 R. A. Vaughan Hours with Mystics (1860) I. iii. ii. 61 By reducing the soul to its most abstract simplicity, we subtilise it so that it expands into the infinite.

1870 R. C. Jebb Sophocles' Electra (ed. 2) p. ix The mythus..has been..gradually subtilized by touches palliating the crime.

1901 Chambers's Encycl. (new ed.) IV. 566/1 Marlowe's Faust is always a man, real and living; Goethe's is often idealised and subtilised to the point of being a shadow, or rather a symbol.

1910 Evening Post (N.Y.) 15 Jan. 6 The attempt to subtilize and mysticize the plain old freebooting narrative.

1999 P. Schirmeister Less Legible Meanings i. ii. 61 The point of the essay will be to subtilize the common, to revise our notions of what is called thinking.

b. transitive. With to, into. To transform (esp. an immaterial thing) into something more refined or elevated; often with implications of concomitant loss of meaning or value. Also with away: to refine to the point of meaninglessness or non-existence.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [verb (transitive)] > improve into or out of a condition

subtilize1653

improve1700

polish1712

1653 J. Sergeant To Sir Kenelme Digby sig. *3^v Since with distinctions they so nicely pare, They subtilize it quite away to aire.

1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing xvii. 167 The most obvious Verity is subtiliz'd into niceties, and spun into a thread indiscernible by common Opticks.

1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fifth 7 To raise the Low, to magnify the Mean, And subtilize the Gross into Refin'd.

1788 T. Taylor Diss. Platonic Doctr. Ideas in tr. Proclus Philos. & Math. Comm. I. p. xxxii On Mr. Locke's system, body may be modified into thought, and become an intelligent creature; it may be subtilized into life, and shrink, by its exility, into intellect.

1837 T. Keightley Secret Societies Middle Ages 180 Philosophy.., which had long been his delight, he had contrived to subtilize into an almost unintelligible mysticism.

1852 N. Hawthorne Blithedale Romance xii. 126 By long brooding over our recollections, we subtilize them into something akin to imaginary stuff.

1874 W. Jackson Philos. Nat. Theol. iv. 265 In his eagerness, the metaphysical refiner subtilizes away the truth under analysis.

1973 J. A. Ramsaran Eng. & Hindi Relig. Poetry 6 Scriptural allusiveness is not subtilised to an abstraction of philosophical dialectics.

2003 K. Kumar Making of Eng. National Identity vi. 165 The tropes of Protestantism could easily be subtilized into the more directly cultural and political themes of liberty, prosperity and progress.

Derivatives

ˈsubtilized adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > [adjective] > rarefied

subtiliate?a1425

rarefied1523

subtiliated1603

attenuated?1624

attenuate1626

subtilized1628

extenuated1661

1628 M. Mainwaring Vienna 150 His pleasing words..and subtilized distinctions, allay the force of the approaching storme.

1674 P. Walsh Some Quest. Oath Allegiance 21 Heat first extenuates, and then draws away the subtiliz'd parts.

1718 J. Quincy Pharmacopœia Officinalis i. i. 9 What passes for Spirit as a Principle, is no other than an highly subtilized Salt.

1741 C. Middleton Hist. Life Cicero II. 549 The Stoics fancied, that the soul was a subtilized, fiery substance.

1858 E. H. Sears Athanasia vii. 64 Not that the spiritual world is a subtilized natural one on the plane of materialism.

1878 T. Hardy Return of Native II. iii. viii. 226 Brimming with the subtilised misery that he was capable of feeling.

1916 K. M. Roof Stranger at Hearth xxviii. 383 She..knew with her subtilized intuition that it was not the usual storm of anger, jealousy or passion.

1994 W. R. Newman Gehennical Fire iv. 148 An ultrapure, subtilized mercury will ‘rest quiet in the fierceness of fire’, unmoved by the ardent assault of flame.

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

单词	subtilize
释义	subtilizev. Brit. /ˈsʌtl̩ʌɪz/, /ˈsʌbtl̩ʌɪz/, U.S. /ˈsədlˌaɪz/, /ˈsəbtlˌaɪz/ Forms: 1500s subtelise, 1600s subtelize, 1600s subtillize, 1600s– subtilise, 1600s– subtilize. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin subtilizare. Etymology: < post-classical Latin subtilizare to argue or reason in a subtle manner, to make subtle distinctions (13th cent.; 14th cent. in a British source) < classical Latin subtīlis subtle adj. + post-classical Latin -izare -ize suffix. In later use influenced semantically by Middle French, French subtiliser to rack one's brains, to think hard (c1380 as †subtilisiier ), to make (a solid substance) fluid or volatile (c1480), to make into a powder (1541), to make (the mind or senses) more acute or penetrating, to exalt, elevate (a soul) (both 1580). Compare Spanish sutilizar (a1536; a1260 as subtilizar ; rare before the late 15th cent.), Portuguese sutilizar (15th cent. as †sotilizar ), (now rare) subtilizar (1587), Italian sottilizzare (14th cent.). Compare earlier subtile v. and subtle v., and later subtlize v. N.E.D. (1915) also gives the pronunciation (sɒ·btiləiz) /ˈsʌbtɪlaɪz/, apparently a spelling pronunciation; P. Roach and J. Hartman Eng. Pronounc. Dict. (1991) record this as an alternative U.S. pronunciation, but 20th-cent. British pronouncing dictionaries do not record it. 1. a. (a) intransitive. To argue or reason in a subtle manner; to make subtle distinctions; (sometimes spec. in a negative sense) to split hairs. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > misleading argument, sophistry > excessive subtlety, hair-splitting > pursue subtleties [verb (intransitive)] windc1386 subtlec1390 subtilea1450 subtilize1592 to cut a feathera1634 to split a hair or hairs1674 to split straws1674 to split words1674 Thomisticate1730 subtlize1821 1592 S. Daniel Complaynt of Rosamond in Delia sig. I4 Th' one autentique made her fit to teach, The other learnt her how to subtelise. 1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 54 In doubtfull Cases hee can subtilize. 1664 J. Fullarton Turtle-dove sig. e3 How could man for his acts apologize, If satan taught him not to subtilize? a1754 J. Maclaurin Serm. & Ess. (1755) 330 It should make us very cautious how we subtilize against it. a1797 H. Walpole Mem. George II (1847) II. iv. 115 We were not.., by being taught to subtilize, to lose respect for the essential. 1812 T. Taylor Diss. Philos. Aristotle iii. ii. 395 The schoolmen began to subtilize more and more. 1873 J. A. Symonds Stud. Greek Poets vii. 203 Wrangling, perorating, subtilizing, seeking victory in strife of words. 1907 J. J. Walsh Thirteenth, Greatest of Cent. xvii. 282 Nothing was left for the later Scholastics except..to subtilize to such an extent that Scholasticism soon became a synonym for captious quibbling. 2005 A. van Gemert tr. M. Prantl Shining Heart xiii. 282 Do you want to subtilize, logically analyze and piece together in the spiritual, religious area? (b) intransitive. With on, upon, about a subject. Also in prepositional passive. Now rare. ΚΠ 1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. vi. 40 Of such nature, are the qualities and moodes, that some moderne Philosophers haue so subtilised vpon. 1653 R. Gentilis tr. F. Bacon Nat. & Exper. Hist. Winds 174 They would not subtilize about that subject in infinitum. 1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura v. 107 However afterwards subtiliz'd upon and cultivated. 1758 O. Goldsmith tr. J. Marteilhe Mem. Protestant II. 87 But what will not Men do..who subtilize upon the commonest Duties until they no longer appear binding? 1860 G. P. Marsh Lect. Eng. Lang. xiii. 285 Rask..has subtilized so far upon them [sc. intonations], that few of his own countrymen, even, have sufficient acuteness of ear to follow him. 1877 R. H. Horne in E. B. Browning Lett. to R. H. Horne I. 70 It [sc. shyness] is a species of consciousness which is..resolvable into self-love, subtilise about it as we may. 1901 Inland Printer July 527/2 I am bound to desist from theorizing and subtilizing on the text of the agreement. 1980 W. A. Kaufmann Discovering Mind v. 257 To subtilize about that is a waste of time. b. transitive. To introduce subtleties or fine distinctions into (an argument, subject, etc.); to argue subtly upon.Often with implications of over-refinement. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > misleading argument, sophistry > excessive subtlety, hair-splitting > render subtle [verb (transitive)] subtilize1629 supersubtilize1911 1629 E. Sandys Europæ Speculum 155 They which do subtilize the points of goodnes more curiously, will say that Pivs Quintvs was a good Prælat, but no good Prince. 1635 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Donzella Desterrada 33 Speculation too much subtilized makes a man unfit..for the contemplative life. 1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iii. x. 242 'Tis no wonder if the Wit of Man so employ'd, should perplex, involve, and subtilize the signification of Sounds. 1732 D. Waterland Christianity vindicated against Infidelity 48 The Mysticks followed, and deviated in like manner with the former, by over-refining and subtilizing plain Things. 1746 W. Warburton 2 Serm. 16 They spent their whole Lives in agitating and subtilizing Questions of Faith. 1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. ii. i. 78 He commented upon expressions, split and subtilized words. 1860 E. L. Magoon Living Orators in Amer. ix. 430 A strong, unostentatious master who is able,..without formal reasoning, subtilizing and classifying his ideas, to..express it in a manner the most natural, forcible, and just. 1916 B. B. Warfield in D. J. McMillan et al. Sunday iii. 79 Paul subtilizes the requirements of the Seventh Commandment. 1998 J. Olney Memory & Narr. i. 20 Within a few lines he [sc. Augustine] subtilizes and modulates this description. 2. transitive. To render (the mind, the senses, etc.) acute or penetrating; to sharpen; to heighten. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > acuteness of physical senses > make more acute [verb (transitive)] sharpa1100 sharpenc1450 subtilize1594 1594 L. Lewkenor tr. O. de la Marche Resolued Gentleman f. 23^v To subtilize my remembrance, she made me smell to a Garlande of Knowledge. 1642 H. More Ψυχωδια Platonica sig. N5 Rayes down sent From higher sourse the mind do maken pure, Do clear, do subtilise. 1652 J. Wright tr. J.-P. Camus Nature's Paradox x. 239 See..how the extremity of danger doth subtilize men's Wits. 1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Air Good Air..exhilarates the Heart, subtilizes the Senses, sharpens the Understanding. 1740 J. B. de Freval tr. N. A. Pluche Hist. Heavens II. 293 An useful exercise which subtilized the mind. 1806 Trans. Royal Irish Soc. 10 11 The acute and subtle character of the Arabians, inflamed and subtilized by the influence of a burning sun. 1865 Daily Tel. 9 Nov. 6/6 Subtilising and strengthening his intellect by familiarity with the psychological and ontological problems of the schools. 1925 Times 15 Sept. 18/2 Passion may distort vision, but it can also deepen and subtilize it. 1999 L. Irwin Awakening to Spirit 190 To subtilize the will, feelings, and mind by intending them toward a more conscious, self-aware life of related interactions. 3. a. transitive. To make (a substance) more fluid or volatile; to make thinner, to rarefy. Also: to refine. Occasionally with into. Also intransitive. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > make less dense [verb (transitive)] thinc1000 laska1375 rarefya1398 subtilea1425 subtiliate1551 extenuate1559 assubtiliate1582 assubtile1589 attenuate1594 subtilize1597 thinnify1693 the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > become less dense [verb (intransitive)] > make something less dense subtilize1597 1597 P. Lowe Art Chirurg. ix. Cc 3 If the bloud be grosse, vse frictions to subtilize it and make it runne. 1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1339 For aire is engendred by the extinction of fire: and the same againe being subtilized and rarefied, produceth fire. 1612 Mr. King tr. Benvenuto Passenger i. ii. 103 Those preserued in pickle doe astringe, subtilize, cut, obsterpe and open. 1662 C. Merrett tr. A. Neri Art of Glass xliii That the water may penetrate and subtilise the ingredients. 1680 R. Boyle Exper. & Notes Prodvcibleness Chymicall Princ. i. 26 in Sceptical Chymist (new ed.) Fermentation rarefy's the oyly parts of the Juice of Grapes, and subtilizes them into vinous spirits. 1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Leaves To subtilize..the Abundance of nourishing Sap, and to convey it to the little Buds. 1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 43 Fire only subtilizes and attenuates the earthy matter. 1863 J. F. Kirk Hist. Charles the Bold I. 61 There [sc. in Flanders] the products of the earth are mingled, subtilized, shaped into new forms, exchanged, and redistributed. 1907 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 45 We discern them as built up variously out of the same sub-elemental stuff, which, like the materia prima of the ancients, is subtilised to the verge of evanescence. 2000 R. Grossinger Embryogenesis (rev. ed.) v. 77 As botanical templates breathe sun and air, their starchy matter is continuously subtilized into colors, scents, aroma essences, etheric oils, foods, and medicines. †b. transitive. To sublimate. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > chemistry > chemical reactions or processes > subject to chemical reactions or processes [verb (transitive)] > subject to named chemical reaction or process > subject to sublimation sublimea1400 sublimate1559 elevate1607 subtilize1611 extol1657 sublevate1657 alcoholize1670 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Sublimé Argent sublimé, Mercurie subtilized by the Limbecke. 1738 G. Smith tr. Laboratory ii. 43 Repeat this..till you can subtilize no more of the Calx. †c. transitive. To reduce to small fragments, to pulverize. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > chemistry > chemical reactions or processes > subject to chemical reactions or processes [verb (transitive)] > subject to named chemical reaction or process > subject to miscellaneous other processes reduce?a1425 weaken1540 projecta1550 brown1570 spiritualize1593 colliquate1603 redisperse1621 imbibe1626 educe1651 to cant off1658 part1663 regalize1664 dint1669 roche1679 subtilizea1722 neutralize1744 develop1756 evolve1772 extricate1790 separate1805 unburn1815 leach1860 methylate1864 nitrate1872 nitre1880 sweeten1885 deflocculate1909 hybridize1959 the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > make less dense [verb (transitive)] > loosen texture > make friable subtilizea1722 shorten1733 a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husbandry (1757) 7 Stirring the earth, subtilizing it's parts, and turning it up to the air. 1739 E. Carter tr. F. Algarotti Sir I. Newton's Philos. Explain'd II. 112 When they are groun'd (that is, when their Parts are subtilised) their Colours change. 1893 A. E. Waite tr. E. Kelly Alchemical Wrtings Edward Kelly 34 If they have not been ground, repeat your operation, and see that they are ground and subtilized. 4. a. transitive. To exalt, elevate; to bring to a state of refinement or perfection. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > hope > hope for [verb (transitive)] > raise subtilize1638 elevate1817 the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [verb (transitive)] > purify or refine slick1340 filec1400 polishc1400 burnish1526 polite1535 extirpate1548 purify1548 soften1579 purgea1582 refine1592 mellow1593 civilize1596 rarefy1600 incivilize1603 sublimate1624 alembicate1627 chastise1627 sublime1631 calcine1635 gentilize1635 ennoble1636 subtilize1638 deconcoct1655 sublimizea1729 smooth1762 absterge1817 decrassify1855 sandpaper1890 1638 T. Whitaker Tree Humane Life 34 What panick feares doth wine prevent in the Souldier subtilising their drooping spirits. 1652 J. Wright tr. J.-P. Camus Nature's Paradox i. 20 What cannot this Passion do when it refineth and subtilizeth thus such young Souls! 1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 114. ⁋5 The art of thievery is..subtilized to higher degrees of dexterity. 1774 J. Bryant New Syst. II. 276 He tries to subtilize, and refine all the base jargon about Saturn. 1836 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 40 329 We subtilize this conception till we fit it to make part of our notion of matter in its utmost abstraction. 1856 R. A. Vaughan Hours with Mystics (1860) I. iii. ii. 61 By reducing the soul to its most abstract simplicity, we subtilise it so that it expands into the infinite. 1870 R. C. Jebb Sophocles' Electra (ed. 2) p. ix The mythus..has been..gradually subtilized by touches palliating the crime. 1901 Chambers's Encycl. (new ed.) IV. 566/1 Marlowe's Faust is always a man, real and living; Goethe's is often idealised and subtilised to the point of being a shadow, or rather a symbol. 1910 Evening Post (N.Y.) 15 Jan. 6 The attempt to subtilize and mysticize the plain old freebooting narrative. 1999 P. Schirmeister Less Legible Meanings i. ii. 61 The point of the essay will be to subtilize the common, to revise our notions of what is called thinking. b. transitive. With to, into. To transform (esp. an immaterial thing) into something more refined or elevated; often with implications of concomitant loss of meaning or value. Also with away: to refine to the point of meaninglessness or non-existence. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [verb (transitive)] > improve into or out of a condition subtilize1653 improve1700 polish1712 1653 J. Sergeant To Sir Kenelme Digby sig. 3^v Since with distinctions they so nicely pare, They subtilize it quite away to aire. 1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing* xvii. 167 The most obvious Verity is subtiliz'd into niceties, and spun into a thread indiscernible by common Opticks. 1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fifth 7 To raise the Low, to magnify the Mean, And subtilize the Gross into Refin'd. 1788 T. Taylor Diss. Platonic Doctr. Ideas in tr. Proclus Philos. & Math. Comm. I. p. xxxii On Mr. Locke's system, body may be modified into thought, and become an intelligent creature; it may be subtilized into life, and shrink, by its exility, into intellect. 1837 T. Keightley Secret Societies Middle Ages 180 Philosophy.., which had long been his delight, he had contrived to subtilize into an almost unintelligible mysticism. 1852 N. Hawthorne Blithedale Romance xii. 126 By long brooding over our recollections, we subtilize them into something akin to imaginary stuff. 1874 W. Jackson Philos. Nat. Theol. iv. 265 In his eagerness, the metaphysical refiner subtilizes away the truth under analysis. 1973 J. A. Ramsaran Eng. & Hindi Relig. Poetry 6 Scriptural allusiveness is not subtilised to an abstraction of philosophical dialectics. 2003 K. Kumar Making of Eng. National Identity vi. 165 The tropes of Protestantism could easily be subtilized into the more directly cultural and political themes of liberty, prosperity and progress. Derivatives ˈsubtilized adj. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > [adjective] > rarefied subtiliate?a1425 rarefied1523 subtiliated1603 attenuated?1624 attenuate1626 subtilized1628 extenuated1661 1628 M. Mainwaring Vienna 150 His pleasing words..and subtilized distinctions, allay the force of the approaching storme. 1674 P. Walsh Some Quest. Oath Allegiance 21 Heat first extenuates, and then draws away the subtiliz'd parts. 1718 J. Quincy Pharmacopœia Officinalis i. i. 9 What passes for Spirit as a Principle, is no other than an highly subtilized Salt. 1741 C. Middleton Hist. Life Cicero II. 549 The Stoics fancied, that the soul was a subtilized, fiery substance. 1858 E. H. Sears Athanasia vii. 64 Not that the spiritual world is a subtilized natural one on the plane of materialism. 1878 T. Hardy Return of Native II. iii. viii. 226 Brimming with the subtilised misery that he was capable of feeling. 1916 K. M. Roof Stranger at Hearth xxviii. 383 She..knew with her subtilized intuition that it was not the usual storm of anger, jealousy or passion. 1994 W. R. Newman Gehennical Fire iv. 148 An ultrapure, subtilized mercury will ‘rest quiet in the fierceness of fire’, unmoved by the ardent assault of flame. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < v.1592
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