subtle
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Alternative spellings
[edit] Etymology
Old English sotil, subtil, Old French soutil, later subtil, French subtil, Latin subtilis (“‘fine, thin, slender, delicate’”); probably, originally, “woven fine”, and from sub (“‘under’”) + tela (“‘a web’”), from texere (“‘to weave’”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adjective
subtle (comparative subtler, superlative subtlest)
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- Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable.
- The difference is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.
- (of a thing) Cleverly contrived.
- (of a person or animal) Cunning, skillful.
- insidious
- 1623, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third, act iv, scene 4,
- Thy age confirmed, proud, subtle, bloody, treacherous.
- 1623, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third, act iv, scene 4,
- Tenuous; rarefied; of low density or thin consistency.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
hard to grasp
cunning, skillful
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Translations to be checked
[edit] References
- subtle in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- subtle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989
