“subtil” is a form of
subtle
UK /ˈsʌtl̩/ · US /ˈsʌtəl/ adjective, noun, verb
Forms subtler subtlest the subtle subtles subtling subtled subtil subtile subtill suttle
- adjective Of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive.
- adjective (archaic) Having a delicate or fine substance or texture; hence, exquisite, refined.
- adjective (archaic) Slender, thin.
- adjective (archaic) Of a substance: finely powdered; also, of particles of a substance: very fine or small.
- adjective (archaic) Of weight: after the tare (“weight of an empty container”) has been subtracted; net.
- adjective (historical) Of a substance, especially a gas or liquid: of low density or thin consistency; rarefied, tenuous; hence, tending to spread everywhere due to this quality.
- adjective (nautical, obsolete, rare except historical) Synonym of subtile (“of a ship: narrow, slender”).
- adjective Of an argument or concept, words, etc.: requiring one to distinguish between fine points, especially if it is difficult to do so; nice; also (generally), difficult to grasp; not easily understood or obvious.
- noun People or things that are subtle (adjective sense) as a class.
- verb (chiefly US) To make (something) subtle (“giving only a slight impression; also, skilfully restrained or understated”).
- verb (obsolete, rare, uncertain) To burn (someone or something) to ash.
Synonyms
subtile dim fuzzy distant hazy ill-defined ill-marked indefinite indistinct indistinguishable muzzy obscure undefined vague astute clairvoyant deep frood grounded judicious elusive insidious pernicious
Antonyms
gross simple straightforward apparent arrant undoubted glaring bait blatant clear clear as a bell clear as day
Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“of a person, the mind, etc.: clever, ingenious, penetrating; cunning, sly; insidious; delicate, fine; not dense, light, thin; finely powdered; narrow, slender; etc.”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman sotel, subtil, sutil, Middle French soutil, subtil, sutil, and Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (“of an object: skilfully designed or made; delicate, fine; slender, thin; of an intangible thing: difficult to understand; of a person: discerning, shrewd; devious, sly; etc.”) (modern French subtil), from Latin subtīlis (“of texture: delicate, fine; slender, thin; accurate, keen; having fine judgment; etc.”), from sub (“below, under”) + tēla (“warp (threads running lengthwise in a loom); web”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tetḱ- (“to create, produce; to cut, hew”), from *teḱ- (“to beget, sire”)). The word displaced Old English smēag (literally “creeping”).
The modern and Middle English (and French) spellings with -b- are influenced by Latin subtīlis; the letter was probably never pronounced.
The noun is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“wise person; sophisticated people collectively”), from the adjective.
Partly from both of the following:
* From Middle English sotilen, subtile, subtilien (“to reflect on (something); to become mentally keen; to connive, scheme; to contrive, invent; to become pure or thin; to (cause something to) become light or thin; (medicine) to lighten or reduce (a diet)”), from Anglo-Norman sotiller, soutiller, sutiller, Middle French soutiller, soutillier, and Old French soutillier (“to make thin; to sharpen; to split hairs when arguing; to scheme, plot”), from Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (noun) (see etymology 1) + -ier (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs), partly influenced by Late Latin subtīliāre, the present active infinitive of subtīliō (“to act craftily; to diminish”), from Latin subtīlis (adjective) (see etymology 1) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).
* From subtle (adjective).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; --applied to persons; as, a subtle foe. "A subtle traitor." Shak.
- adjective Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle stratagem.
Etymology [OE. sotil, subtil, OF. soutil, later subtil, F. subtil, L. subtilis; probably, originally, woven fine, and fr. sub under + tela a web, fr. texere to weave. See Text, and cf. Subtile.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “subtle”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details