Subdue

How to spell subdue

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce subdue

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does subdue mean?

1. verbTo bring under control by force, persuasion, or restraint; to reduce the intensity of something.

Subdue in a sentence

• The officers worked together to subdue the struggling suspect without causing injury.

• Slow, deep breathing can help subdue a rising sense of panic before a meeting.

Where does subdue come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Subdue reached English in the late 1300s and has an unusually tangled parentage. The form came through Old French souduire, which descended from the Latin subducere, literally 'to lead away from below' or 'to withdraw quietly', built from sub- meaning 'under' and ducere meaning 'to lead' (the same root that gives us 'conduct' and 'reduce'). In sense, however, the English word leaned heavily on a different Latin verb, subdere, 'to place under' or 'to subject', from sub- plus dare 'to put or give'. This crossing of two Latin verbs is why the meaning settled on bringing something or someone under control rather than merely drawing it away. The spelling trap lives in that final '-due': the ending preserves the 'lead/draw' (ducere) thread, so it is not the '-dew' of morning moisture nor a plain '-do'.

How the word is built

• sub- (under)
• -due (from Latin ducere: to lead/draw, blended with dare: to put/place)