subdue

subdue
transitive verb (subdued; subduing) Etymology: Middle English sodewen, subduen, from Anglo-French soduire, subdure to lead astray, overcome, arrest (influenced in form and meaning by Latin subdere to subject), from Latin subducere to withdraw, remove stealthily Date: 14th century 1. to conquer and bring into subjection ; vanquish 2. to bring under control especially by an exertion of the will ; curb <
subdued my foolish fears
>
3. to bring (land) under cultivation 4. to reduce the intensity or degree of ; tone down Synonyms: see conquersubduer noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Subdue — Sub*due , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Subdued}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Subduing}.] [OE. soduen, OF. sosduire to seduce, L. subtus below (fr. sub under) + ducere to lead. See {Duke}, and cf. {Subduct}.] 1. To bring under; to conquer by force or the exertion of …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • subdue — I verb abate, allay, beat, beat down, bend, best, break, bring under rule, calm, captivate, capture, choke, conquer, control, crush, curb, deaden, defeat, discipline, discomfit, domare, dominate, dull, enthrall, foil, get the better of, harness,… …   Law dictionary

  • subdue — (v.) late 14c., to conquer, from O.Fr. souduire deceive, seduce, from L. subducere draw, lead away, withdraw (see SUBDUCE (Cf. subduce)). The sense seems to have been taken in Anglo French from L. subdere. Subduct in the sense of subtract is from …   Etymology dictionary

  • subdue — subjugate, reduce, overcome, surmount, overthrow, rout, *conquer, vanquish, defeat, beat, lick Analogous words: control, manage, direct (see CONDUCT vb): discipline, *punish, correct: foil, thwart, circumvent, *frustrate: *suppress, repress… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • subdue — [v] keep under control; moderate bear down, beat down, break, break in, check, conquer, control, crush, defeat, discipline, dominate, drop, extinguish, gentle, get the better of*, get the upper hand*, get under control, humble, mellow, overcome,… …   New thesaurus

  • subdue — ► VERB (subdues, subdued, subduing) 1) overcome, quieten, or bring under control. 2) bring (a country) under control by force. ORIGIN Latin subducere draw from below …   English terms dictionary

  • subdue — [səbdo͞o′, səbdyo͞o′] vt. subdued, subduing [ME subdewen (altered in sense and form by assoc. with L subdere, to put under, subject) < OFr soduire, to withdraw, seduce < L subducere: see SUBDUCE] 1. to bring into subjection; conquer;… …   English World dictionary

  • subdue — [[t]səbdju͟ː, AM du͟ː[/t]] subdues, subduing, subdued 1) VERB If soldiers or the police subdue a group of people, they defeat them or bring them under control by using force. [V n] Senior government officials admit they have not been able to… …   English dictionary

  • subdue — UK [səbˈdjuː] / US [səbˈdu] verb [transitive] Word forms subdue : present tense I/you/we/they subdue he/she/it subdues present participle subduing past tense subdued past participle subdued 1) to hold someone and make them stop behaving in an… …   English dictionary

  • subdue — subduable, adj. subduableness, n. subduably, adv. subduer, n. subduingly, adv. /seuhb dooh , dyooh /, v.t., subdued, subduing. 1. to conquer and bring into subjection: Rome subdued Gaul. 2. to overpower by superior force; overcome …   Universalium

  • subdue — sub|due [səbˈdju: US ˈdu:] v [T] [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: soduire to lead into bad actions , from Latin subducere to remove ; influenced by Latin subdere to force to obey ] 1.) to defeat or control a person or group, especially… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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