subduct

English

WOTD – 22 October 2011, 22 October 2012, 22 October 2013, 22 October 2014

Etymology

From Latin subductus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʌbˈdʌkt/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌkt

Verb

subduct (third-person singular simple present subducts, present participle subducting, simple past and past participle subducted)

1. (transitive) To push under or below.

   Coordinate terms: abduct, adduct, circumduct

   The upper tectonic plate had been subducting the lower one for millions of years by the time the eruption happened.

2. (intransitive) To move downwards underneath something.

   This tectonic plate had been subducting for millions of years by the time the eruption happened.

   • 2009 [1986], Allan Cox, Robert Brian Hart, “Absolute plate motion”, in Plate Tectonics: How It Works‎^[1], Blackwell Scientific, →ISBN, page 355:

     For example, if two trenches remained fixed relative to the local parts of the mesosphere into which they were subducting and if these two parts of the mesosphere were moving relative to each other, then the positions of the two trenches would move in the fixed reference frame. However since on Planet B the rate of deformation of the mesosphere is much slower than the rate of plate motion, we would still be able to draw the useful conclusion that the rate at which trenches and their subducting slabs move laterally relative to the mantle is very slow.

3. (law, otherwise uncommon) To remove; to deduct; to take away; to disregard.

   He wished to subduct the caveat that he had entered earlier.

   • 1892, Louis Diston Powles, Thomas William Henry Oakley, “Chapter XXIII: Of practice and pleading in the probate division in contentious business—caveats”, in The Law and Practice Relating to Probate and Administration‎^[2], Sweet and Maxwell, page 380:

     Should it be desired to subduct the caveat the party entering it or his clerk, on producing the receipt, writes in the margin of the caveat "I subduct this caveat," and signs his name.
     If deceased had a residence within the limits of a district registry notice of the caveat is sent to such registry.
     Fee for entering caveat at principal registry, 1s.
         〃     notice of entry to district registry, 1s. 6d. Same fees are charged for subducting.

Derived terms

• nonsubducting
• unsubducted

Related terms

• subduction
• subduction zone

Translations

to push under or below

• Finnish: työntää alle
• Macedonian: подвлекува (podvlekuva)
• Tagalog: isailalim

to move underneath sthg

• Finnish: työntyä alle
• Hungarian: alábukik (hu), alányomul
• Macedonian: подвлекува (podvlekuva)

Anagrams

• bus duct