subtle 
Sec, the day begins to break, 
Anil the light shoots like a Htrcak 
Of niMI 
FbtchiT, Kaithflll ~ii. ],li. nl. s, Iv. 4. 
We'll rub the sen, and from the xtibtlr air 
I'Virli her iiihaliitantH t<> MI|.J]\ our fare. 
Uekkrr null h''.r.l, SIIII'H Darling, T. 1. 
'2. Same as xiihlili . 11. 
Cnn Iil him all the mischief imaginable, and that easi- 
ly, safely, and successfully, anil so applaud myself in my 
power, my uit, ami my xiibllt- contrivances? 
South, Sermons, III. ill. 
Besides functional truth, there is always a nubile and 
Illicitly ornamental play of lines and surfaces in thc.se fan- 
ciful creatures [grotesques in medieval sculpture). 
C. //. .Vmnr, (Jiithic Architecture, p. 280. 
3. Sly; insinuating; artful; cunning; erafly; 
deceitful ; treacherous : as, u subtle adversary ; 
a militk' scheme. Also subtil/'. 
I'lay tbon the subtle spider ; weave flue nets 
To ensnare her very life. 
\li,lilli-lini nnil Ilfl.L.r. Itoarini.' (iiil, i. I. 
The Cuthl, xalth he. were the mllett beggars of all men 
In the world. /, Pilgrimage, |i. I..1. 
The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field. 
Miltun, P. U, Til. 41(6. 
4. Cunningly devised ; artfully contrived or 
handled; ingenious; clever: as, a subtle strata- 
gem. Also sublili . 
There is nowhere a more subtle machinery than that of 
the British Cabinet. . . . These things may be pretty 
safely asserted : that It is not a thing made to order, but 
a growth ; and that no subject of equal importance has 
been so little studied. Gladstone, Might of Right, p. 161. 
5. Characterized by acuteness and penetration 
of mind; sagacious; discerning; discriminating; 
shrewd; quick-witted: as, a subtle understand- 
ing; subtle penetration or insight. Also siib/ili . 
She is too .-uliiii- for thee ; and her smoothness, 
Her very silence and her patience, 
.Speak to the people, and they pity her. 
ghak., As you Like it, 1. 3. 79. 
Scott . . . evinces no very subtle perception of the 
spiritual mysteries of the universe. 
Whiffle, Ess. and Rev., I. 321. 
The brave impetuous heart yields everywhere 
To the subtle, contriving head. 
M. Arnold, Gmpedocles on Etna. 
The name of the Subtle Doctor, we are told, was the 
thirty-sixth on the list, and the entry recording his death 
ran as follows : D. P. Kr. Joannes Scotus, sacra theolo- 
gian professor, Doctor Hubtilis nominates, quondam lec- 
tor Colonlte, qui obiit Anno 1308. vl. Idus Xovembris. 
N. and Q., 7th ser., VII. 452. 
6f. Made carefully level; smooth; even. 
Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground, 
I have tumbled past the throw. 
Shalr., Cor., v. 2. 20. 
The subtlest bowling-ground In all Tartary. 
B. Jonaon, Chloridia. 
7. Ingenious; skilful; clever; handy: as, a 
I nlcarned In the world's false nibtletirt. 
Shak., Sonnets, cxxxriii. 
6t. Same as xubtilty, 0. 
At the end of the dinner they have certain mbtietie*, 
custards, aweet and delicate things. 
l.nti,,i,i; Mi,:-. BriMtfOM. 
SUbtle-witted (mit'l-wit'ed). . Sharp-wilted: 
crafty. 
Shall we think the subtti ./ .it., I 1 rench, 
'onjurers and sorcerers, . . . have contrived hl end 
ShaJc., 1 H. VI., I. i. 25. 
subtly (snt'li), ailr. [Early mod. E. aUoHMU/v; 
< MK. .-oti/li/.- < subtli- + -/-/'-'. Cf. *,//,/,/,/,,.] in 
a subtle manner; with subtlety, (o) Ingeniously ; 
cleverly ; delicately ; nicely. 
I know how mttly greatest Clarks 
Presume to argue in their learned Work*. 
ttylectler, tr. of Du Bartas s Weeks, I. 2. 
In the nice bee what sense tosubUy true 
From poisonous herbs extract the healing dew ? 
Pope, Euay on Man. i. illi 
Substance and expression tubtly interblended. J. Caird. 
(6) Slyly ; artfully ; cunningly. 
Thou seest 
How subtly to detain thee I devise. 
Miltun, P. L, vlii. 207. 
() Deceitfully ; delusively. 
Tie. n proud dream, 
That play'st so lubtli/ with a king's repose. 
Shak., Hen. V., Iv. 1. -r... 
subtonic (sub'ton'ik), H. In music, the next 
tone below the upper tonic of a scale; the 
leading-tone or seventh, as E in the scale of F. 
Also called subsemitone. 
subtorrid (sub-tor'id), a. Subtropical. 
subtract (sub-trakf), r. t. [Formerly, and still 
in illiterate use, erroneously substract (so earlier 
substruction tor subtraction), after the F. forms, 
and by confusion with abstract, extract; < L. 
*ii/>tractus t pp. of subtrahere (> It. sottrarre = Sp. 
subtraer, .tustraer = Pg. subtrahir = F. xotts- 
Iniire = G. subtrahireii = Sw. xnhtruhera = Dan. 
subtrahere), draw away from under, take away 
by stealth, carry off, < sub, under, + trahere, 
draw, drag: see tract. Cf. abstract, extract, 
protract, retract, etc.] To withdraw or take 
away, as a part from a whole ; deduct. 
deep, profound, 
subtleness (sut'1-nes), . [< subtle + -ness. Cf. 
xiiliiili in ,v.v. ] The quality of being subtle, in any 
sense, 
subtlety (sut'l-ti), .; pi. subtleties (-tiz). [Cf. 
militilty; < ME.sotilte,sotylte,sotelte,sutilte,<OF. 
xoiitUete, soutillcte, later subtilite (> E. subtiliti/), 
< L. xiibtititu(t-)g, fineness, slendemess, acuite- 
ness: see subtiliti/, and cf. subtle, subtile.] 1. 
Same as gubtilty, 1. 
Naught ties the soul, her subtlety is such. 
Sir J. Danes, Immortal, of Soul, x. 
2. Acuteness of intellect ; delicacy of discrim- 
ination or penetration; intellectual activity; 
subtility. 
Although it may seem that the ability to deceive is a 
mark of mbtletij or power, yet the will testifies without 
doubt of malice and weakness. 
Descartes, Meditations (tr. by Veitch), iv. 
United with much humour fine subtlety of apprehen- 
sion. W. H. Russell, Diary In India, I. 15. 
3. Same as militilti/. >. 4. Slyness; artifice; 
cunning; craft; stratagem; craftiness; artful- 
ness; wiliness. Also sulttilti/. 
For, in the wily snake 
Whatever sleights, none would suspicious mark, 
As from his wit and native subtlety 
Proceeding. MOton, P. L., IT. 9S. 
5. That which is subtle or subtile. Alsosubtilty. 
(a) That which is fine-drawn or intricate. 
My father delighted in subtleties of this kind, and lis- 
tened with Infinite attention. 
Sterne, Tristram Shandy, iv. 29. 
(6) That which is intellectually acute or nicely discrimi- 
nating. 
The delicate and Infinite subtletiesot change and growth 
discernible in the spirit and the speech of the greatest 
anmni: poets. Swinburne, Shakespeare, p. 7. 
(c) That which is of false appearance ; a deception ; an il- 
lusion. [Rare.] 
All material product* consumed by any one, while he 
produces nothing, are so much subtracted, for the time, 
from the material products which society would otherwise 
have possessed. J. S. MM, Pollt. Econ., I. Hi. 5 4. 
= Svn. Subtract, Deduct. See deduct. 
subtracter (sub-trak'ter), . [< subtract + -*rl .] 
1. One who subtracts. 2. A subtrahend. 
subtraction (sub-trak'shon), n. [Formerly, and 
still in illiterate use, subtraction (= D. substrak- 
tie), < OF. substruction, soustraction, F. sous- 
traction = Sp. sustraccion = Pg. subtracq&o = It. 
sottrazione = G. subtraction = Sw. Dan. subtrak- 
tion, < L. subtractio(n-), a drawing back, taking 
away, < subtrahere, pp. subtractus, draw away, 
take away: see subtract."] 1. The act or oper- 
ation of subtracting, or taking a part from a 
whole. 
The colour of a coloured object, as seen by transmitted 
light, is produced by subtraction of the light absorbed from 
the light incident upon the object. 
A. DanieU, Prln. of Physics, p. 450. 
2. Specifically, in arith. and alt/., the taking of 
one number or quantity from another; the 
operation of finding the difference between 
two numbers. 
Subtraction diminlsheth a grosse sum by withdrawing of 
other from it, so that subtraction or rebatlon is nothing else 
but an arte to withdraw and abate one sum from another, 
that the remain IT may appeare. Recorde., Ground of Artes. 
3. In law, a withdrawing or neglecting, as 
when a person who owes any suit, duty, cus- 
tom, or service to another withdraws it or neg- 
lects to perform it. 4. Detraction. [Rare.] 
Of Shakspere he (Emerson] talked much, and always 
without a word of subtraction. The Century, XXXIX. 624. 
subtractive (sub-trak'tiv), a. [= Pg. subtrac- 
tivo; as subtract + -ice.] 1. Tending to sub- 
tract; having power to subtract. 2. In matt., 
having the minus sign ( ). 
subtrahend (sub'tra-hend), n. [< NL. subtra- 
ln iidiini, neat, of L. subtrahendus, that must be 
subtracted, fut. pass. part, of gubtraliere: see 
subtract.'] In math., the number to be taken 
from another (which is called the minuend) in 
the operation of subtraction. 
Sllbtranslucent (sub-trans-lu'sent), a. Imper- 
fectly translucent. 
subtransparent (sub-trans-par'entr), a. Im- 
perfectly transparent. 
subtransverse (sub-trans-vers'), a. In en torn., 
somewhat broader than long : specifying coxae 
which tend to depart from the globose to the 
transverse form. 
SUbtreasury (sub-trez'u-ri), n. A branch of 
the United States treasury, established for con- 
subulate 
ivi-i-ipt of public moneys unili-r 1 hr 
independent treasury syMi-m. and plaeeii in 
charge of an assistant treasurer of the I'niteil 
States. There are nine subtreasurles, situated In New 
York, Boston, Philadelphia, lialtinn.ie, Cincinnati, Chi 
cago, St. Louis, .New Orleans, and San Krani-i 
SUbtriangUlar (sub-tri-ang'gu-ljir), n. Some- 
what triangular ; three-sided with uneven sides 
or with the angles rounded off. Itnnrin, r'ertil. 
of Orchids by Insects, p. 1(14. 
subtriangulate (sub-tri-ang'gu-lit), a. In'/i- 
lum., siibtriiingular. 
subtribal (.sub'tri-bal), a. [< militriin' + -a/.] 
Of the classificatory grade of or characterizing 
a subtribe. 
subtribe (sub'trib), H. A division of a tribe; 
specifically, in ;<>iil. and hot., a section or divi- 
sion of a tribe: a classificatory group of no 
lixeil ^raile. See tribe. 
subtriedral (sub-tri-e'dral;, a. Same as suiiln- 
lu ili-iil. Owen. 
SUbtrifld (sub-tri'lid). . Slightly trifid. 
subtrigonal (sub-trig'o-nal), a. Nearly or some- 
what trigonal. Amer. Jour. Set., XXIX. 449. 
subtrigonate (sub-trig'o-nat), . Same as *uii. 
triiionnl. 
subtrihedral (sub-tri-he'dral), a. Somewhat 
prismatic; somewhat like a three-sided pyra- 
mid: as, the subtriheilral crown of a tooth. 
Also iublriedral. 
subtriple (sub-trij)'!), . Containing a third or 
one of three parts: as, 3 is subtriple of 9 ; hav- 
ing the ratio 1 : 3. 
subtriplicate (sub-trip'li-kat), . In the ratio 
of the cube roots: thus, a to Vb is the sub- 
triplicate ratio of o to 5. 
subtrist (sub-trisf), a. [< L. subtristin, some- 
what sad, < sub, under, + trintis, sad : see trist.] 
Somewhat sad or saddened. [Rare.] 
But hey ! you look Mibtrixt and melancholic. 
Scott, Abbot, xxlx. 
subtrochanteric (sub-tro-kan-ter'ik), a. Sit- 
uated below the trochauter. 
snbtropic (sub-trop'ik), a. and . I. a. Same 
as xubtrojtical. 
II. n. A subtropical region. 
There are but two counties [of Florida] In the suktropics 
Dade and Monroe. Of these Dade has the most equable 
climate. The 7H'm<!(Phila.), May 3, 18S. 
subtropical (sub-trop'i-kal), o. Of a climate or 
other physical character between tropical and 
temperate ; approaching the tropical or torrid 
zone in temperature: noting a region on the 
confines of either tropic, or its plants, animals, 
and other natural productions : as, subtropical 
America ; a subtropical fauna or flora. 
SUbtrude (sub-trod'), '; pret. and pp. sub- 
tritdeti, ppr. subtruding. [< L. sub, under, + 
trudere, thrust, press on, drive. Cf. intrude, ex- 
trude, protrude, etc.] To insert or place under. 
[Rare.] 
subtutor (sub'tu'tor), w. An under-tutor. 
subtympanitic (su"b-tim-pa-nit'ik), a. Ap- 
proaching tympanitic quality. 
subtype (sub'tip), . In biol., a more special 
type included in a more general one. 
subtypical (sub-tip'i-kal), a. Not quite typical, 
or true to the type ; some what aberrant: noting 
a condition or relation between typical and 
aberrant. Compare attypical, etypical. 
SUbucula (su-buk'u-la), n. [L. subucula, a man's 
undergarment, a shirt, < sub, under, + 'uerc, 
used also in exuere, put off: see etvrite.'] 1. 
Among the ancient Romans, a man's under- 
tunic. 2. In the Anglo-Saxon Church, an inner 
tunic worn under the alb. It seems to have 
served the purpose of a cassock. Kock, Church 
of our Fathers, i. 460. 
Subularia (su-bu-la'ri-S), n. [NL. (Linnaeus, 
1737), named from the' leaves ; < L. xubula, an 
awl.] A genus of polypetalous plants, of the 
order Cruciferte. and tribe ('iiiinlini.T. it is char- 
acterized by its growing im- 
mersed under water, and by 
its awl-shaped leaves, and 
its short ovate-globose tur- 
gid silicic, with about four 
seeds. The original species, 
S. ai/uatica. is a native of 
fresh-water lakes of Europe, 
Siberia, and North America, 
occurring within the United 
States in lakes of Maine and 
New Hampshire, and at Yel- 
lowstone lake and Mono 
Pass, California. A species 
In Abyssinia is also reported. 
See airtirort 
subulate (su'bu-lat), . 
< 1 
\ U. 
Subulate Leaves of Juniper <y- 
