subdue
[ suhb-doo, -dyoo ]
/ səbˈdu, -ˈdyu /
verb (used with object), sub·dued, sub·du·ing.
RELATED WORDS
crush, suppress, humble, tame, overpower, quell, restrain, conquer, extinguish, repress, temper, overcome, control, discipline, quench, drop, reduce, quiet, soften, break
Nearby words
- subdual,
- subduce,
- subduct,
- subduction,
- subduction zone,
- subdued,
- subduedly,
- subdural,
- subdural hemorrhage,
- subdural space
Origin of subdue
1350–1400; Middle English so(b)duen, so(b)dewen < Anglo-French *soduer to overcome, Old French soduire to deceive, seduce < Latin subdūcere to withdraw (see subduct); meaning in E (and Anglo-French) < Latin subdere to place beneath, subdue
SYNONYMS FOR subdue
Synonym study
1. See defeat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for subdue
subdue
/ (səbˈdjuː) /
verb -dues, -duing or -dued (tr)
to establish ascendancy over by force
to overcome and bring under control, as by intimidation or persuasion
to hold in check or repress (feelings, emotions, etc)
to render less intense or less conspicuous
Word Origin for subdue
C14 sobdue, from Old French soduire to mislead, from Latin subdūcere to remove; English sense influenced by Latin subdere to subject
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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subdue
late 14c., "to conquer," from Old French souduire "deceive, seduce," from Latin subducere "draw, lead away, withdraw" (see subduce). The sense seems to have been taken in Anglo-French from Latin subdere. Subduct in the sense of "subtract" is from 1570s. Related: Subdued; subduing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper