suborn

[ suh-bawrn ]
/ səˈbɔrn /

verb (used with object)

to bribe or induce (someone) unlawfully or secretly to perform some misdeed or to commit a crime.
Law.
  1. to induce (a person, especially a witness) to give false testimony.
  2. to obtain (false testimony) from a witness.

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Origin of suborn

1525–35; < Latin subornāre to instigate secretly, orig., to supply, equivalent to sub- sub- + ornāre to equip; see adorn

OTHER WORDS FROM suborn

sub·or·na·tion [suhb-awr-ney-shuh n] /ˌsʌb ɔrˈneɪ ʃən/, nounsub·or·na·tive [suh-bawr-nuh-tiv] /səˈbɔr nə tɪv/, adjectivesub·orn·er, nounun·sub·orned, adjective

Words nearby suborn

subordinated, subordinated debt, subordinating conjunction, subordination, subordinationism, suborn, subornation of perjury, suboscine, subotica, suboxide, subpapular
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for subornation

British Dictionary definitions for subornation

suborn
/ (səˈbɔːn) /

verb (tr)

to bribe, incite, or instigate (a person) to commit a wrongful act
criminal law to induce (a witness) to commit perjury

Derived forms of suborn

subornation (ˌsʌbɔːˈneɪʃən), nounsubornative (sʌˈbɔːnətɪv), adjectivesuborner, noun

Word Origin for suborn

C16: from Latin subornāre, from sub- secretly + ornāre to furnish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012